1. Q3 Breast Cancer in Pregnancy
How should women presenting with a breast lump during pregnancy be managed?
Check ALL the initial steps of management-
Women presenting with a breast lump during pregnancy should be referred to a breast specialist team and any imaging or further tests should be conducted within the breast multidisciplinary team.
- Ultrasound is used first to assess a discrete lump.
- But if cancer is confirmed, mammography is necessary (with fetal shielding) to assess the extent of disease and the contralateral breast.
- Tissue diagnosis is with ultrasound-guided biopsy for histology rather than cytology, as proliferative change during pregnancy renders cytology inconclusive in many women
Women presenting with a breast lump during pregnancy should be referred to a breast specialist team and any imaging or further tests should be conducted within the breast multidisciplinary team.
- Ultrasound is used first to assess a discrete lump.
- But if cancer is confirmed, mammography is necessary (with fetal shielding) to assess the extent of disease and the contralateral breast.
- Tissue diagnosis is with ultrasound-guided biopsy for histology rather than cytology, as proliferative change during pregnancy renders cytology inconclusive in many women
