Breast cancer and pregnancy or the desire to have children

Cancer during pregnancy is rare, but has an immense impact on the life of survivors and those around them. It also often leaves a lasting impression on the doctors and paramedics treating the patient. Due to the rarity of a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy, doctors often do not know all possibilities in terms of treatment and preservation of the pregnancy.

The overarching Advisory Board on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (ABCIP) has developed an international online platform where questions regarding cancer and pregnancy (using only anonymous patient data) can easily be asked. These questions can be submitted at ab-cip.org. Various national advisory groups are united here to discuss their recommendations and send them to the practitioner. Through this fast way of communication, the advisory group can send back a formal letter with recommendations within four to seven days.

On this platform, a separate module is also available specifically for Belgian patients. As of this year, a group of seventeen specialists from Belgium, coming from different hospitals in different parts of the country and from different disciplines, are united in ABCIP Belgium. The ABCIP Belgium was founded to provide all Belgian doctors who have questions concerning possible treatment options for their pregnant patients with a cancer diagnosis or women with cancer who wish to become pregnant in the future with recommendations free of charge, within a reasonable period of time.