A Literature Review on Nursing for Patients with Pregnancy-associated Breast Cancer (PABC) in Japan

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increase in morbidity associated with breast cancer. As the childbearing age of females increases, the risk of breast cancer in pregnancy and the lactational period also increases. The present study focused on pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC), and examined research trends in this area by reviewing previous studies to develop useful insights into nursing. The method was a literature study. A search of nursing-related literature was conducted using Ichushi Web Ver.5 with the keyword “breast cancer in pregnancy”, and 48 papers were extracted. Only original papers were selected and examined to exclude papers that were irrelevant to the purpose of the present study; finally, twelve papers were selected. There were papers on nursing care for patients with breast cancer during pregnancy written at the beginning of the 1990s and later, and there has been an increase in the number of these papers over the last ten years. However, the total number of papers on breast cancer during pregnancy was small, indicating the necessity of promoting studies, especially those adopting qualitative approaches. The obtained papers reported that when supporting patients with PABC, it is important to help them make their own decisions. It is necessary to implement breast cancer education for nurses who provide perinatal care to reduce the period of time required by patients to consult specialists.