In July 2013, Adele Rivas discovered she had breast cancer. Two days later, she learned she was pregnant. Ms. Rivas and her husband Luis rode an emotional roller coaster of panic and joy. At that point, they had been trying to have a baby for two-and-a-half years.
But questions abounded. Could Ms. Rivas’ stage 2b cancer be treated while she was pregnant? Would the baby be safe? And would the treatment be effective? The answer was yes to all three questions.
Ms. Rivas underwent a mastectomy during her first trimester, and received 12 weeks of chemotherapy in her second trimester.
Her son Constantino was born on March 10, weighing in above average, at 8 lbs., 2 oz. “He is a feisty little boy,” says Ms. Rivas. “He’s just a happy, happy soul. He’s always smiling.”
Ms. Rivas says she chose to receive treatment at the Mount Sinai Health System because she knew that Mount Sinai offered top multidisciplinary care in oncology, breast surgery, obstetrics, and plastic surgery, and that she had had a positive experience there as a child.
Joanne Stone, MD, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital, who treated Ms. Rivas, says, “What makes Mount Sinai so special is the coordinated care we provide patients, which includes interdisciplinary meetings.”
Christina Weltz, MD, a breast surgeon at the Dubin Breast Center of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Mount Sinai Health System, also treated Ms. Rivas. “Adele was able to get treatment without compromising her health or her baby’s health,” says Dr. Weltz.
Pregnant women should not ignore signs of breast cancer, Dr. Stone advises. Chemotherapies can cause fetuses to grow at a slower rate, but that is not the case with all patients. Pregnant women can have mammograms as long as their stomachs are properly shielded and covered, and they can have certain chemotherapies, as well. Radiation is not safe and should be postponed until after the woman delivers her baby.
Before and after Ms. Rivas’ mastectomy, doctors performed an ultrasound to check the health of her baby.
“The heartbeat after the surgery was one of the most emotional moments of my life,” says Ms. Rivas, who shared the moment with her sister Alison. “We were just hysterical, crying together. That moment was really special.”
Today, Ms. Rivas is back to work as a physician assistant, and volunteers at the 5 Under 40 Foundation, which offers support to young women with breast cancer. Next year she will undergo reconstructive breast surgery.
“Some people look at it as a negative, but I feel lucky that I was pregnant with breast cancer,” Ms. Rivas says. “I had something positive to help me through it.”