Vancouver-area doctors say they're concerned about the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy and suggest the connection warrants more research.
Oncologist Dr. Stephen Chia told CTV's Tamara Taggart that every one of the doctors he works with has treated at least one woman who discovered she had breast cancer while expecting, and he believes higher estrogen levels need to be studied.
"I think that it's definitely an area that more attention should be paid to research, and because it's not as common, we have to work in a collaborative manner," he said.
He added that breast cancer is found in between one in every 5,000 and one in every 10,000 pregnant women.
"In a large urban area, it actually happens not infrequently," he said.
West Vancouver's Christine Etherington was just 20 weeks along in her pregnancy when she noticed a lump in her breast. A trip to the doctor revealed a stage two, grade three, triple-negative breast cancer.
"When they actually said the words, ‘You have breast cancer,' my heart just broke," she said.
"It was such a big shock because I just assumed the changes in my body were because I was pregnant."
Her son Caden was delivered by C-section on Friday, seven weeks before her due date, so she can begin cancer treatment. Her chemotherapy is set to start when the baby is just seven days old and will last for 16 weeks. She'll have a one-month break after that before undergoing daily radiation treatment for another five weeks.
"It doesn't have to be a death sentence, but there needs to be a little more research out there for pregnancy and breast cancer," Etherington said.
CTV medical specialist Dr. Rhonda Low has made breast exams an essential part of the health care routine for all the pregnant patients she treats in her family practice.
"I always encourage my pregnant women to do their own breast exams so they'll become familiar with the change in breast tissue," she said.
Until more information is available on any link between pregnancy and breast cancer, doctors advise that expectant mothers should be aware of any changes to their bodies and speak to their physicians about it.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Tamara Taggart
