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Management of Breast Cancer During Pregnancy Using a Standardized Protocol

From the Departments of Breast Medical Oncology and Surgical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine; and Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX.

Address reprint requests to Richard L. Theriault, DO, Department of Breast Medical Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Box 56, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030; email rtheriau{at}mdanderson.org

PURPOSE: No standardized therapeutic interventions have been reported for patients diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. Of the potential interventions, none have been prospectively evaluated for treatment efficacy in the mother or safety for the fetus. We present our experience with the use of combination chemotherapy for breast cancer during pregnancy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the past 8 years, 24 pregnant patients with primary or recurrent cancer of the breast were managed by outpatient chemotherapy, surgery, or surgery plus radiation therapy, as clinically indicated. The chemotherapy included fluorouracil (1,000 mg/m²), doxorubicin (50 mg/m²), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m²), administered every 3 to 4 weeks after the first trimester of pregnancy. Care was provided by medical oncologists, breast surgeons, and perinatal obstetricians.

RESULTS: Modified radical mastectomy was performed in 18 of the 22 patients, and two patients were treated with segmental mastectomy with postpartum radiation therapy. This group included patients in all trimesters of pregnancy. The patients received a median of four cycles of combination chemotherapy during pregnancy. No antepartum complications temporally attributable to systemic therapy were noted. The mean gestational age at delivery was 38 weeks. Apgar scores, birthweights, and immediate postpartum health were reported to be normal for all of the children.

CONCLUSION: Breast cancer can be treated with chemotherapy during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy with minimal complications of labor and delivery.

Presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, San Diego, CA, May 20-23, 1992; the 9th International Congress on Breast Disease, Houston, TX, April 28-May 2, 1996; and Biomedicine `96: Medical Research from Bench to Bedside, Washington, DC, May 3-6, 1996.

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