Multidisciplinary cooperation strengthens individualized management of breast cancer in pregnancy

Abstract

As the pregnant patient with breast cancer is in a special physiological period, both the efficacy of mother and the safety of developing fetus should be considered during the whole process of diagnosis and treatment. It is particularly important for multidisciplinary teams including breast, obstetrics and nursing departments to make a secure and effective individualized plan for those in different gestational week and different stages of breast cancer development. Pregnancy risk assessment and whole-process multidisciplinary case management mode for breast cancer during pregnancy are helpful for the early detection of abnormal health status of pregnant women and fetuses, enabling rapid and efficient treatment, reducing the occurrence of adverse medical events, and maximizing the safety of pregnant women and fetuses. Obstetricians should pay attention to the chief complaints of pregnant women and conduct regular breast ultrasound examinations. Once anything suspicious is found, breast surgeons need to take charge of a multidisciplinary discussion. Not only should the multidisciplinary collaborative outpatient clinic determine the treatment plan for breast cancer during pregnancy, but also the concept of multidisciplinary collaboration should be incorporated into the follow-up treatment process, including active surgical treatment, selection of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, avoidance of endocrine therapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy, and adherence to multidisciplinary follow-up, etc. Multidisciplinary case management of breast cancer during pregnancy is necessary and feasible, and more prospective clinical studies need to be carried out to help improve clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.