What types of cancer are most common during pregnancy?
Certain types of cancer are more likely to occur during pregnancy, they include:
- Breast cancer [1]
- Ovarian cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma [2]
- Leukemia [3]
- Melanoma [4]
- Colorectal cancer [5]
- Thyroid cancer
Other cancers such as brain, bone, and lung cancer, can also occur, but they are very rare.
There are cases when certain types of cancer overlap with pregnancy symptoms, which tends to delay a diagnosis. Common signs of both pregnancy and certain cancers include:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Bloating
- Breast changes
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
- Rectal bleeding
There are a rare group of diseases in pregnancy, called gestational trophoblastic diseases [6]. These diseases are caused by abnormal growth of cells (trophoblast) in women’s uterus.
They start in early pregnancy and are related to the pregnancy. Although most forms are benign, they can also be metastasized (spread) and cause death in rare cases.