What should have been a joyful milestone became a life-altering crisis for Salimeh Maghsoudlou, who was diagnosed with breast cancer while seven months pregnant with her first child.
Maghsoudlou, then 35, told the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) and CBC News that she discovered an unusual lump in her breast during her pregnancy in 2019. She raised the concern at her next medical appointment, prompting an ultrasound and biopsy that confirmed she had HER2-positive, hormone-negative breast cancer.
The diagnosis came as a shock. “I didn’t feel any pain. There were no other symptoms besides the lump,” Maghsoudlou recalled. “It’s like the mind doesn’t believe that you are sick. But my immediate reaction was: ‘What do we do next?’”
Facing limited guidance on treating cancer during pregnancy, Maghsoudlou said she struggled to find clear medical information. She eventually transferred to another hospital to work with a team experienced in managing rare cancer cases. Doctors recommended a treatment plan that included two rounds of chemotherapy before her baby was born.
“I did lots of independent research on specific chemotherapy drugs and their safety for my child, but the information was difficult to find,” she told the CCS. “It was hard to find any precise information on specific drugs used during pregnancy.”
After giving birth to a healthy son, Maghsoudlou underwent a segmental mastectomy — a surgical procedure that removes the tumor along with surrounding healthy tissue — followed by 19 rounds of radiotherapy, according to the CCS.
Now cancer-free, Maghsoudlou has turned her experience into advocacy. She is calling for routine breast examinations to be included in prenatal care in Quebec, which the CCS reports has the highest cancer incidence rate in Canada for both men and women.
“In other countries, breast exams are part of gynecological follow-ups,” she told CBC News. “Here, that wasn’t the case. If my obstetrician had done a breast examination, maybe they could have found it earlier.”
While grateful for her recovery and her son’s health, Maghsoudlou said the emotional toll of the experience has not faded. “It’s not something that you forget,” she said. “The fear of mortality still pokes up.”
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. In the United States alone, more than 320,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and over 42,000 deaths are projected annually, underscoring the importance of early detection and routine screening.
