Markers of the prognosis of breast cancer relapse during pregnancy

Background. Pregnancy-associated breast cancer (PABC) is diagnosed during pregnancy or within the first postpartum year. Purpose – this study examines breast cancer relapse during pregnancy, analyzing histological forms, receptor status, and biochemical markers. Materials and Methods. A total of 83 patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n = 35) with relapse and Group 2 (n = 48) without recurrence. Results. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most common histological type (65.3%), followed by mixed invasive ductal-lobular carcinoma (11.2%) and invasive lobular carcinoma (7.8%). Molecular subtypes included Luminal A (51.7%), Luminal B (7.8%), HER2-positive (5.4%), and Triple-negative (35.1%). BRCA1 mutations were significantly associated with relapse (67%). Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed metabolic alterations, oxidative stress, and Na+/K+-ATPase activity changes in recurrent tumors. Fluorescence spectra at 337 and 285 nm were most indicative of relapse. Conclusions. These findings highlight fluorescence-based diagnostics as a potential tool for early relapse detection and underscore the need for molecular profiling in PABC management.