Breast Cancer in Childbearing Years: Breastfeeding After Cancer Treatment

How the Nurse Can Help

Start the conversation early. The oncology nurse should ask the patient what she might want to do with regard to future plans about having a family. Would she eventually consider breastfeeding? Awareness of where the patient is in terms of her treatment is also important. She might be at a stage where she wants to conceive; she is about to end treatment and recovering well. If that patient wants to breastfeed, her nurses should be able to help her navigate the process.

As important as the subject is, breastfeeding after surviving breast cancer has not been the focus of much research. A study with regard to pregnancy and endocrine therapy, the Pregnancy Outcome and Safety of Interrupting Therapy for Women with Endocrine Responsive Breast Cancer (POSITIVE; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02308085) trial will provide information on the probability of successful conception and cancer outcomes following a temporary interruption of endocrine therapy.³ These trial results may also give oncology clinicians additional information for counseling breast cancer survivors who want to conceive and breastfeed successfully.¹

References

1. Bhurosy T, Niu Z, Heckman CJ. Breastfeeding is possible: a systematic review on the feasibility and challenges of breastfeeding among breast cancer survivors of reproductive age. Ann Surg Oncol. Published online September 11, 2020. doi:10.1245/s10434-020-09094-1

2. Zuppa AA, Sindico P, Orchi C, et al. Safety and efficacy of galactogogues: substances that induce, maintain and increase breast milk production. J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2010;13(2):162-174. doi:10.18433/j3ds3r

3. Pagani O, Ruggeri M, Manunta S, et al. Pregnancy after breast cancer: are young patients willing to participate in clinical studies? Breast. 2015;24(3):201-207. doi:10.1016/j.breast.2015.01.005