Abstract
Given the current trend of delaying pregnancy and the gradual increase in age-related risk of certain cancers, the incidence of pregnancy during a cancer diagnosis will likely continue to increase. The objective of this review is to identify specific aspects of quality of life that impact women diagnosed with a cancer during pregnancy. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed and Health Research Premium databases, including articles from 2014 to 2024 that assessed psychological or quality-of-life outcomes in cancer during pregnancy. A total of 1,987 articles were screened with a final yield of six articles that met the inclusion criteria. Overall, themes included fear and worry, social support, and concerns over breastfeeding. These themes were identified as aspects of quality of life that impact women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy. It is critical that all members of the health-care team recognize the unique situation that occurs when a pregnancy is complicated by a cancer diagnosis.
References
Cottreau, C. M., Dashevsky, I., Andrade, S. E., Li, D.-K., Nekhlyudov, L., Raebel, M. A., Ritzwoller, D. P., Partridge, A. H., Pawloski, P. A., & Toh, S. (2019). Pregnancy-associated cancer: A U.S. population-based study. Journal of Women’s Health, 28(2), 250–257. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.6962
Driscoll, A. K. & Hamilton, B. E. (2025). Effects of age-specific fertility trends on overall fertility trends: United States, 1990–2023. National Vital Statistics Reports. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr74/nvsr74-3.pdf
Facchin, F., Scarfone, G., Tamanza, G., Ravani, S., Francini, F., Peccatori, F. A., Di Loreto, E., Dell’Acqua, A., & Saita, E. (2021). “Lights and Shadows”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 620353. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620353
Faccio, F., Mascheroni, E., Ionio, C., Pravettoni, G., Alessandro Peccatori, F., Pisoni, C., Cassani, C., Zambelli, S., Zilioli, A., Nastasi, G., Giuntini, N., & Bonassi, L. (2020). Motherhood during or after breast cancer diagnosis: A qualitative study. European Journal of Cancer Care, 29(2), e13214. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.13214
Gomes, J. S., Van der Sand, I. C. P., & Girardon-Perlini, N. M. O. (2021). Cancer during pregnancy: From the diagnosis to the repercussions on the family experience of maternity. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 55, e20200518. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2020-0518
Hammarberg, K., Sullivan, E., Javid, N., Duncombe, G., Halliday, L., Boyle, F., Saunders, C., Ives, A., Dickinson, J. E., & Fisher, J. (2018). Health care experiences among women diagnosed with gestational breast cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 27(2), e12682. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.12682
Harris, J., Ream, E., Armes, J., Gibson, F., Marcu, A., Parsons, C. T., Robinson, A., Varghese, S., & Poole, K. (2023). What do we know about the psychosocial issues associated with cancer during pregnancy? A scoping review and gap analysis. BMJ Open, 13(3), e063283. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-063283
Ives, A., Musiello, T., & Saunders, C. (2012). The experience of pregnancy and early motherhood in women diagnosed with gestational breast cancer. Psycho-Oncology, 21(7), 754–761.
Leung, V., Bryant, C., & Stafford, L. (2020). Psychological aspects of gestational cancer: A systematic review. Psycho-oncology, 29(11), 1734–1745. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5502
Levey, N., & Krishna, I. (2022). Breast cancer in pregnancy: Caring for the very young breast cancer patient from diagnosis through survivorship. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America, 49(1), 181–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ogc.2021.11.006
Liow, K. H. F., Ng, T. R. P., Choo, C. H., Koh, S. S. L., & Shorey, S. (2022). The experiences and support needs of women with gestational breast cancer in Singapore: A descriptive qualitative study. Cancer Nursing, 45(1), E263–E269. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0000000000000912
Martínez, M. T., Bermejo, B., Hernando, C., Gambardella, V., Cejalvo, J. M., & Lluch, A. (2018). Breast cancer in pregnant patients: A review of the literature. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 230, 222–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2018.04.029
Matsuo, K., Duval, C. J., Youssefzadeh, A. C., Mandelbaum, R. S., Ouzounian, J. G., & Wright, J. D. (2023). Prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders in pregnant women with malignancy. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 160(2), 635–640. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14335
Paris, I., Di Giorgio, D., Carbognin, L., Corrado, G., Garganese, G., Franceschini, G., Sanchez, A. M., De Vincenzo, R. P., Accetta, C., Terribile, D. A., Magno, S., Di Leone, A., Bove, S., Masetti, R., & Scambia, G. (2021). Pregnancy-associated breast cancer: A multidisciplinary approach. Clinical Breast Cancer, 21(1), e120–e127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clbc.2020.07.007
Roberts, F., & Andrewes, T. (2022). Exploring the psychological impacts of a gestational cancer diagnosis on women: A literature review. British Journal of Nursing, 31(17), S26–S33. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2022.31.17.S26
Stafford, L., Sinclair, M., Gerber, K., Saunders, C., Ives, A., Peate, M., Lippey, J., & Little, R. (2021). Isolation experienced by women with gestational cancer: Could peer support and tailored information be the answer? Supportive Care in Cancer, 29(12), 7135–7138.
Teoli, D., & Bhardwaj, A. (2023). Quality of life. Stat Pearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536962/