Breast Cancer and Pregnancy: Clinical, Translational, and Psychosocial Perspectives
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Research of Cancer".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editors
Interests: pregnancy-associated breast cancer; breast oncology; surgical oncology; translational research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Breast cancer in the context of pregnancy is a rare but increasingly recognized scenario that poses unique diagnostic, therapeutic, and psychosocial challenges. Traditionally, the term pregnancy-associated breast cancer encompassed all cases diagnosed during gestation or within 12 months after delivery. However, growing evidence indicates that breast cancers diagnosed in the years following childbirth have distinct biological features and prognoses. On this basis, recent ESMO consensus statements endorse defining postpartum breast cancer as a disease occurring up to 10 years after delivery, distinguishing it from pregnancy-related breast cancer. This expanded and evidence-based definition reflects the complexity of the interaction between reproductive biology and breast cancer development, underlining the need for dedicated research.
This Special Issue will explore the complex interplay between breast cancer and pregnancy in all its forms—from breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or in the postpartum period to pregnancy occurring following a prior breast cancer diagnosis. In line with the scope of Cancers, we welcome contributions that will advance our understanding of clinical care and that include translational research and patient-centred outcomes in this unique population.
For this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and systematic reviews are welcome. Topics may include (but are not limited to) clinical management during pregnancy and postpartum; systemic, surgical, and radiologic strategies; maternal and fetal outcomes; pregnancy after breast cancer; fertility preservation and oncofertility; high-risk genetic mutations; epidemiology and risk factors; biological mechanisms; and ethical, psychosocial, and public health perspectives.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Alba Di Leone
Dr. Elena Jane Mason
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- pregnancy-associated breast cancer
- postpartum breast cancer
- pregnancy after breast cancer
- oncofertility
- fertility preservation
- breast surgery
- maternal outcomes
- fetal outcomes
- genetic risk
- survivorship
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