A new study indicates that most breast cancer treatments are safe during pregnancy, Blogging Baby reports. If true, this could mean fewer instances of the terrible choice between the life of the mother and the life of the baby.
The researchers warn, however, that women should still not undergo radiation therapy while pregnant. They also caution that while women can receive chemotherapy during pregnancy, it should be done well in advance of delivery, so that blood counts are not low at that time. Finally, doctors say that newer, highly-targeted cancer therapies are probably not appropriate for pregnant patients.
Both pregnancy and cancer can wrack the body, though for critically different reasons. I can’t imagine having to deal with both at the same time. For the 3000 or so women in the U. S. who are forced to each year, however, these new findings offer hope.