If a breastfeeding mother has breast cancer, can she pass on the cancer to the child? (Query)

If you have breast cancer, should you breastfeed? Our expert answers.

By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | | Updated: August 1, 2017 10:35 am

If a breastfeeding mother with breast cancer feeds the infant, is there a chance that the cancerous cells can pass on to the kid? Can the child have cancer? What should one do in such a case? Should the mother stop breastfeeding? Please tell.

The query is answered by Dr Ruchika Nagrath, Lamaze Child Birth Educator, Member of Medela Lactation Consultants Club.

No, if a breastfeeding mother has breast cancer, she cannot pass on the cancer to the child as cancerous cells cannot be passed to the baby through breastmilk. Breast cancer can affect any woman, and according to current statistics, even young women are at risk of suffering from it. And the only way to know if you have breast cancer is through mammography and a series of test to diagnose the condition. Moreover, symptoms like a lump in the breast or changes in the breast size and shape or leaking breast is a tell-tale sign of breast cancer. Hence, if you have a doubt do consult your gynaecologist and get tested to rule out cancer.

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, then the treatment of cancer can affect your ability to nurse. Women undergoing radiation therapy can nurse the baby. However, radiation may damage the glands or ducts present in and around the breasts, which can limit the milk production in the affected breast. In such a case, you can breastfeed from the other, unaffected breast.

If you are undergoing chemotherapy or radioactive isotope therapy, it is advised to stop breastfeeding. This is because there are high chances that the radioactive isotopes or active ingredients in the drugs can pass on to the child through breast milk. Hence, stop breastfeeding until your doctor tells you that the radioactive elements or medications are completely flushed out from the body, and it is safe to breast your child. You can even consider using a breast pump to pump the milk and later discard the milk to keep the breast milk supply going till she can breastfeed again.

If you have undergone a mastectomy or lumpectomy, in which the breast tissue is removed surgically, it is obvious it will affect your ability to produce breast milk. Whatever might be the result, it is advised to consult a doctor and diagnose the condition at the earliest and get treated. The more you prolong the diagnosis, the more complications might arise. Never postpone a surgery or any other treatment options to prolong nursing as it can further worsen the condition. Also read top breastfeeding queries answered by lactation expert.

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Published : October 19, 2016 4:27 pm | Updated:August 1, 2017 10:35 am

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