Breast cancer treatment during pregnancy followed by postpartum targeted therapy
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Subtype
- Invasive Lobular Carcinoma
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormone therapy
- Outcome
- Responding Well
Treatment course, step by step
- She received 5 cycles of docetaxel during pregnancy and had a near-complete response.
- After delivery, she started trastuzumab and pertuzumab with tamoxifen.
What happened, in summary
A 34-year-old woman was diagnosed with metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer during pregnancy. Treatment began while she was still pregnant, and she received 5 cycles of docetaxel.
After 4 cycles, imaging showed a near-complete response. Her treatment plan was then adapted for the period after delivery. As soon as it was clinically feasible postpartum, she started trastuzumab and pertuzumab together with tamoxifen.
During the first postpartum treatment cycle, breast milk was collected for 17 days, until lactation stopped. Testing found measurable transfer of trastuzumab and pertuzumab into breast milk, supporting the recommendation not to breastfeed during this treatment.
Her cancer had shown a near-complete response to chemotherapy during pregnancy, and systemic treatment continued after delivery.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
Collections this story belongs to
- Stage 4 Breast Cancer 295 stories
- Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer 726 stories
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer