Long-Term Treatment After Preoperative High-Dose Chemotherapy in a Lactating Breast Cancer Patient

Breast cancer during lactation is very rare, accounting for <3 % of all breast cancers. Its diagnosis and treatment is often delayed during pregnancy. We report a case of female lactating breast carcinoma in a 29-year old patient. The disease was stage IIIB (T4N1M0). The patient received preoperative induction chemotherapy and high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell support, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. The metastases were detected 17 months after operation, palliative treatment including different chemotherapy for 60 cycles, locoregional radiotherapy and endocrine therapy. The total number of cycles of chemotherapy was 67, and the survival time was 118 months. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment options for breast cancer during lactation, based on a literature review.