Pregnancy During Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Two patients became pregnant while receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer following mastectomy. These cases suggest that the significant prolongation of disease-free survival seen in young premenopausal patients may not be ascribable to ovarian failure alone. While the degree to which these patients will benefit from adjuvant therapy is unknown, it is clear that the agents used did not affect fertility. The need to instruct such patients in the necessity for using nonoral contraceptive techniques is stressed. ( JAMA 1981;245:1660-1661)