If I Am Pregnant, Can I Still Get Breast Cancer?

Dr. Benjamin Anderson answers the question: 'Pregnancy and breast cancer?'

By
Benjamin O. Anderson, M.D., Director, Breast Health Center, University of Washington, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
September 21, 2007, 2:34 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: If I am pregnant, can I still get breast cancer?

Answer: Breast cancer does occur with pregnancy, and this can be a problem to diagnose, because the breast is changing so much during pregnancy as the breasts prepare for milk production. If someone has a distinct lump in the breast, different from other lumpy areas, then that needs to be evaluated. And we use different tests including breast examination -- that includes mammography in some circumstances -- and that includes breast ultrasound.

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