A Brazilian singer was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer when she was seven months pregnant.
Camila Campos, 29, was preparing for the birth of her second daughter with soccer star Leo Zagueiro when she learned she had the terminal illness earlier this month.
The tumor has already spread to her bones and tragically, the chances of seeing her new baby grow up are slim.
Ms Campos’ unborn daughter should be in good health as the breast cancer has never spread to the foetus, although doctors say it is theoretically possible.
However, pregnancy may have made it more difficult to detect the cancer before it spread.
Camila Campos, 29, was diagnosed with advanced breast cancer while she was seven months pregnant with her second daughter.
Ms Campos, who already has a daughter named Bela, shared the devastating news on Instagram this week.
During pregnancy, a woman’s breasts tend to change in shape, size or appearance, which is also a telltale sign of breast cancer.
The breasts may also leak fluid, which could be confused with breastfeeding.
Because of this, it can be difficult to detect breast cancer in women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, leading to late diagnoses, once the cancer has already spread and is more difficult to treat.
Approximately one in every 3,000 pregnant women is diagnosed with breast cancer, making it the most common cancer in pregnant and postpartum women.
Most women tend to be diagnosed at later stages as they mistake breast changes and other common symptoms for side effects of pregnancy.
Mrs. Campos said she has started chemotherapy.
She said that her hair has already started to fall out as a result of the treatment, but she did not clarify whether her baby has suffered any effects due to the treatment.
Chemotherapy is generally considered safe during pregnancy, although the American Cancer Society recommends against its use during the first trimester because it can increase the risk of stillbirth and birth defects as the fetus’s organs form.
The placenta takes approximately 18 to 20 weeks to fully develop. This organ acts as a barrier between mother and baby, preventing certain medications from passing to the baby.
Cancer Research UK says certain forms of chemotherapy cannot cross the placenta, making them safe after about 14 weeks.
However, chemotherapy should be stopped approximately three weeks before delivery, as it can reduce blood cell counts and cause increased bleeding during delivery.
Radiation therapy and hormone therapy are also avoided during pregnancy to avoid harming the fetus.
Ms. Campos has not clarified whether radiation or other therapies are included in her treatment plan.
Research shows that the cancer itself should not spread to the baby. It has been shown that cancer cells can cross the placenta and spread to the baby, although this is extremely rare and the exact risk has not been calculated. Breast cancer has never been shown to be passed from mother to baby.
Ms Campos, a gospel singer, said she has started treatment and her hair has already begun to fall out.
‘Please pray for me, for my baby in my womb, Sofia, and for my firstborn, Bela, as well as for my husband,’ Campos wrote on Instagram.
Furthermore, a study published in JAMA Oncology Journal Researchers suggested that women with cancer may be up to five times more likely to die in childbirth than those who did not have cancer. The researchers found that this was more common in women with breast cancer.
However, it is not clear whether having cancer during pregnancy and childbirth causes women to die younger than those who did not have cancer during childbirth.
Ms Campos said in an update on Instagram this week, pictured in a hospital bed: ‘God’s processes in my life… no, it’s not a new haircut.’
“A few days ago I entered a new phase of my life. I was seven months pregnant, I was in a lot of pain, I was crying because of back pain and I was faced with the diagnosis of breast cancer, which has now spread to my bones.”
“I left spring and went straight into winter.”
Ms. Campos is relying on her strong faith to cope with the diagnosis.
“My feelings are still a bit disturbed today, which is why I couldn’t talk to you before,” she wrote. “But little by little I am recovering with the help of Christ.”
‘Please pray for me, for my baby in my womb, Sofia, for my firstborn, Bela, as well as for my husband.’
Mr Zagueiro wrote on Instagram in a separate update: ‘These last few days, I confess, have not been easy, in the midst of so many processes and diagnoses that we never expected.
“But seeing so many messages of support and prayers has strengthened our hearts and our faith.”
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women, affecting more than 300,000 patients a year and killing 42,000.