The Evaluation of a Special Clinical Series: Breast Cancer in Breastfeeding Mothers and Delay in Diagnosis

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to investigate lactating mothers who were admitted to our breast polyclinic and diagnosed as breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Ten lactating mothers with breast cancer from 112 breast cancer patients among 2380 patients admitted to our breast diseases policlinic were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Ten of 112 breast cancer patients were lactating women. The mean age of those patients was 33.2 (28-39) years. The mean lactating period was 8.4 months (5-12 months). The average number of children of the patients was two (1-3 child per patient). The results of the tru-cut biopsis were invasive ductal carcinoma in all patients. All patients were triple negative in regard to receptors, except for one, in whom oestrogen and c-erbB2 receptors were positive, whereas the progesterone receptor was negative. Two of the patients were in follow up due to a galactocele for three months. Four patients had multicentric disease in the same breast. Bone metastasis in three, left supraclavicular lymph node metastasis in two and locally advanced breast carcinoma in one patient were detected. Three patients underwent modified radical mastectomy, one patient was given neoadjuvant treatment, however the remaining six patients were given adjuvant oncological treatment. Conclusion: The diagnosis of breast carcinoma in lactating mother is delayed and therefore, prognosis as well as mortality are negatively influenced.