Cancer During Pregnancy
An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way is called as cancer. There are two types of cancer that usually can affect pregnant women
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
Breast cancer is mostly common during pregnancy due to lot of changes in breast. At first it affects breast tissue and milk ducting glands. It forms a small tumor and travel through nodes to other organs. There are different types of breast cancer with different stages. It can be treated by using drugs, surgery, radiation, hormone therapy or chemotherapy.
Risk factors:
• Giving radiation during pregnancy increases the risk of congenital anomaly.
• It can easily spread from one breast to another.
• Protecting the baby becomes difficult when cancer is in advanced stage (3rd or 4th stage).
• It cannot be easily diagnosed.
Signs and symptoms:
• Thickening near breast
• Size and shape change
• Blood comes from nipple
• Breast becomes reddish
• Breast tenderness
Diagnostic method:
• Prenatal visit is necessary for protecting both mother and the baby.
• Perform breast examination regularly for finding any suspicious changes in breast.
If we feel any lump in breast, immediately undergo one of the following tests-
• Mammogram
• Ultrasound
If we detect cancer in early stage means, immediately terminate the pregnancy otherwise we can start the treatment after delivery is safe, because it affects the child also. Whatever the situation is, need to consult with medical oncologist.
