Richard L. Theriault, DO, MBA

Bone renewal is essential for bone strength. During childhood and early adulthood, bone formation prevails over bone resorption, as bones increase in size and strength. Peak bone mass is achieved during the third decade in life, with a higher peak bone mass being protective against osteoporosis later in life.[1] Bone loss is most prominent in women at menopause due to the effects of a natural decline in estrogen levels. However, bone mass begins to decrease with age, and bone loss is most prominent in women at menopause due to the effects of a natural decline in estrogen levels.[2]

Drs. Patridge and Schapira setout to review breast cancerand pregnancy, discuss treatmentoptions for breast cancer duringpregnancy, and summarize the availableevidence regarding safety of pregnancyafter breast cancer. This is asubstantial undertaking. They beginby reviewing the epidemiologic dataindicating an early increase in risk ofbreast cancer development after pregnancyand the likely long-term protectiveeffect of pregnancy on breastcancer risks. The subsequent focus oftheir review is on breast cancer duringpregnancy, a relatively rare occurrence.In a study from California,Smith et al indicated that the frequencyof breast cancer concurrent withpregnancy was 1.3 per 10,000 livesingleton births.[1] The authors notea frequently quoted figure of 1 in 3,000pregnancies.

This section will examine several controversial or uncommon topics in breast cancer: use of dose-intensive therapy, estrogen replacement therapy, male breast cancer, and breast cancer in pregnancy. The section on dose-intensive therapy will trace the development and clinical rationale for the use of this therapy. For additional information, refer to the section on autologous bone marrow transplantation. Estrogen replacement therapy in patients previously treated for breast cancer is an area of active investigation and controversy.