Report of a series of cases of breast cancer during pregnancy in a public hospital in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to report 14 cases of breast cancer during pregnancy and puerperium at the San
Borja Arriarán Clinical Hospital in Chile between 2016 and 2022 and analyze the type of treatment, response to treatment,
and possible complications of pregnancy associated with chemotherapy. Methodology: This is a retrospective descriptive
analysis of a database of breast cancer diagnosed and treated during pregnancy and the puerperium. Prognostic factors,
stage, type of treatment, clinical and pathological response, gestational age at delivery, and newborn weight, in addition
to post-treatment follow-up were considered. Results: The average age was 33 years. In 10 patients, the diagnosis was during pregnancy and 4 during the puerperium. In all cases, the suspicion was clinical due to a palpable tumor. Percutaneous
biopsy showed 100% infiltrating G2 and G3 ductal carcinoma. The most frequent immunohistochemical profile was luminal B, followed by triple-negative. Stage III was the most frequent at diagnosis. Notably, 12 patients received complete
treatment and were followed up. One stage IV patient died during treatment. Five patients progressed with distant metastases. There was an extreme preterm labor due to preeclampsia. The average newborn weight was 2,968 g. Conclusion:
This series is consistent with the majority of publications where diagnosis is evidenced in locally advanced stages, with
unfavorable histology and prognostic factors. In our series, there was no repercussion of chemotherapy treatments in the
fetoplacental unit.