diagnosed while preggy 28 weeks

jenrio
jenrio Member Posts: 558
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

I just had a lumpectomy done 2 days ago.  My tumor from ultrasound was 22x16x10mm, grade III.   ER+ 46%, PR+ 86%.  HER2 status pending.

 My big question is:  how soon should i c-section my baby boy out (I had c-section before)?

Because my tumor is hormone sensitive, intuitive, the sooner the better for me.   But the baby will probably suffer more health issues the earlier he's out.    

So if there's a way to check the metastatic status, it will help me make this difficult decision.    So my question is:

1. is MRI available for pregnant women?   how accurate are they, false positive/negative?

2. is cancer marker tests like CA 17 accurate for pregnant women?  how accurate are they?

3. would the 10 week delay till delivery (before chemo/hormone therapy) impact my chances?

4. I heard there are another option is to have 2 rounds of A/C chemo before delivery.   A/C means cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin.   How effective are they?  Do they cause chemo-brain?  How many rounds will be needed to be effective?   How can we tell whether they work for me?

 Or any other tips/options you may want to share...  Thank you!

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Comments

  • kira1234
    kira1234 Member Posts: 3,091
    edited September 2011

    jenrio,

     I personally no little about treatments while pregnant, but I did find a web site that talks about chemo during prenancy. http://cancerandpregnancy.com/

    I hope this helps.

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  • sweetbean
    sweetbean Member Posts: 1,931
    edited September 2011

    i've heard of people doing chemo during pregnancy with no ill effects to the baby.  it's hard to imagine, because AC is some pretty rough stuff, but I've heard that it is done fairly often.

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  • DiDel
    DiDel Member Posts: 1,329
    edited September 2011

    I am bumping this cause I know there are a couple of pregnant ladies on the boards...Good luck!!

    Diane

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  • peggy_j
    peggy_j Member Posts: 1,700
    edited September 2011

    jenrio, you're asking good questions. Unfortunately I don't have many answers. The one thing I have heard is that MRIs tend to have more false positives than Xrays. In my case, I had a digital mammogram and B-MRI. I think you're talking about MRI inside of a PET/CAT scan? I don't know about that, but as I think you know, MRI don't give off the radiation of Xrays (good) and can see smaller tumors (good, but they also detect things that are ambiguous to read and create the false positives).

    I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. I wish I could help. I'll send you warmest vibes as you go through treatment.

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  • shadow2356
    shadow2356 Member Posts: 393
    edited September 2011

    I am sorry you are dealing with this. I know there were a number of women on here who were diagnosed while pregnant. A number of them were on the stage 3 group.

    I started my chemo about 8 weeks after surgery. They told me at the time that it was no problem.

    Good luck with your baby boy. I had a 34 weeker who was just over 3 pounds and is now a very healthy, happy 3 1/2 year old. She was really just a feed and grow preemie with no health problems.

    I wish you strength in your fight.

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  • lizcarolan
    lizcarolan Member Posts: 46
    edited September 2011

       I wouldn't have a c-section until 36 weeks if you can help it.  BC is usually a slow growing process, I don't think a month, or maybe two would be any the worse, but I don't know. Talk to your OB. If you live in a metro area you may even get a OB/GYN/ONC

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  • lisa_loves_alice
    lisa_loves_alice Member Posts: 33
    edited September 2011

    I'm sorry I am just seeing this.  I was diagnosed last August when I was 12 weeks pregnant.  Obviously the timeline was very different. 

    I did four cycles of AC between 20 weeks and 32 weeks.  We then discussed me potentially starting taxol and I decided against it.

    I would recommend contacting Hope for Two the Pregnant with Cancer Network.  They have a maternal fetal medicine doctor on their board and you can talk with her about your options.  She has logged the experiences of hundreds of women who have been through this.

    I was not able to have any full body scans because the dye used is not known to be safe during pregnancy.  I had 0/3 positive lymph nodes in my sentinal node biopsy (also done without the dye) so I have never been scanned for metastatic disease.  

    I know many women who have had AC during pregnancy and so far our babies are all fine.  The longest survivor I know has an 18 year old daughter.  

    I was told that I probably should not have chemo after 34 weeks because the baby could come early and if there is still chemo in your system it can transfer to the baby and their bodies cannot process the drugs.  

    I chose not to deliver early because the impact on the baby is significant (research shows population differences for babies born before 39 weeks).  Talk to your OB, a neonatologist, your pediatrician.

    No one can make these choices for you but they can give you information about the relative risks and benefits.

    Hang in there -- let me know if you have any other questions. 

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  • jenrio
    jenrio Member Posts: 558
    edited September 2011

    Thanks Lisa and everyone for sharing your experiences and helping me cope!

    My dx date is almost exactly 1 year after Lisa's.    I just had my first dose of chemo AC at 31 weeks

    and will have another one at 34 weeks.   Hopefully I can keep the baby in till 38 weeks!

    Jen

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