Pregnancy-associated breast cancer: relevance, diagnosis and treatment

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of breast cancer during pregnancy, covering epidemiology, modern diagnostic approaches, and treatment strategies, while emphasizing the importance of a multidisciplinary team. It refutes the traditional dogma about the poor disease prognosis, proving that with adequate and timely treatment, survival rates are comparable to those of non-pregnant patients. The main challenge remains late diagnosis. The safety and efficacy of various treatment modalities (surgery, chemotherapy in the second and third trimesters) are discussed in detail, as well as absolute contraindications for endocrine therapy, targeted therapy, and radiotherapy during pregnancy. Special attention is paid to the long-term outcomes for children exposed to chemotherapy in utero, which are generally comparable to the general population when treatment protocols are followed.