breast cancer and pregnancy

[Guest guest]

There are a number of young women in the Austin, TX area who have been

through this same situation within the past 5 years.

 

If you email runi, she can connect your friend to others who

have been through this experience. They refer to themselves as the Pink

Ribbon Cowgirls.

 

There are certain treatments that can begin prior to delivery that won't

hurt the fetus. I've seen some of the beautiful and healthy little

children scampering around with these mamas.

 

Dr. Jennifer Litton (713/792-2817)at MD Anderson in Houston specializes

in this breast cancer treatment and pregnancy. She impressed me when

I heard her speak last October at a Breast Health Summit.

 

Below is an excerpt from an article on this topic in April, 2008, and

below that is a link to a transcript about pregnancy and breast cancer

treatment:

 

D.s. Anderson clinicians were among the first to treat pregnant women

with standard chemotherapy protocols. Some of the children born to

these women are now in their late teens, and oncologist Jennifer

Litton, MD, tells WebMD they are doing quite well.

 

"There haven't been significant cardiac effects or learning

disabilities," she says.

 

Chemotherapy is not given at M.D. Anderson during the first trimester of

pregnancy, when vital organs are still forming and the risk of birth

defects is highest.

 

"The birth defect rate is as high as 20% when chemotherapy is given in

the first trimester, but that rate drops to around 1.3% when

chemotherapy is given later," she says. "That is on par with the

national average," she says.

 

Chemotherapy-treated patients usually get a combination of three drugs

-- fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide.

 

The American Cancer Society estimates that about one in 3,000 pregnant

women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and the number is expected to

grow as more women have babies in their late 30s and 40s, says Litton.

 

Litton agrees that pregnant breast cancer patients usually do have

options, but they may not hear about them unless they are treated at a

major cancer center like M.D. Anderson.

 

"Studies like this one are getting the message out to community

physicians, but it is slow," she says. "This is a case where seeking a

second opinion may make a big difference."

 

http://www.mdanderson.org/transcripts/breast_cancer_and_pregnancy_trans-

cript.html

 

You can view the entire PowerPoint presentation at www.the-rose.org,

just click on the Breast Health Summit tab then choose the presentations

for 2008. Scroll down and you'll see Dr. Litton's presentation.

 

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