title: Breast carcinoma during pregnancy. International recommendations from an expert meeting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast carcinoma during pregnancy (BCP) is a difficult clinical situation, as it appears to put the health of the mother in conflict with that of the fetus.
  
  
  METHODS
  An international expert meeting was conducted to form guidelines on how to diagnose and treat women with BCP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The goal for treatment of the pregnant woman with breast carcinoma is the same as that of the nonpregnant breast carcinoma patient: local control of disease and prevention of systemic metastases. However, certain treatment modalities need to be modified because of the potential for adverse effects on the fetus. There is evidence to support the safety of anthracycline-based chemotherapy during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (Oxford Level of Evidence [LOE] 2b). Because of the lack of evidence, the expert opinion was not to recommend the routine use of newer cytotoxic drugs like the taxanes during pregnancy (LOE 5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recommendations provided should help to reach informed decision making by the patient. The ongoing prospective collection of data on BCP, such as that at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) and that of the German Breast Group/Breast International Group (GBG/BIG), is necessary to further our knowledge regarding the treatment of this unique group of breast carcinoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, J.W.-Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Loibl@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Sibylle
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Loibl
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: von Minckwitz
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gwyn
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: Jens U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Blohmer
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlegelberger
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Theriault
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crivellari
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klingebiel
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Louwen
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
mesh_terms: D018943:Anthracyclines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011379:Prognosis; D043823:Taxoids / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D018943:Anthracyclines; D043823:Taxoids