Dear Elisheva,
       What a terribly traumatic diagnosis for this mother!  The first case
of breastfeeding during cancer that I ever dealt with was years ago, thyroid
cancer in a breastfeeding LLL Leader in my chapter.  When she was diagnosed, her
nursing toddler was just turned 2 years.  Because of the radiation treatment
she received, for several months she was not allowed to sleep with her family
or hold any of her children on her lap, etc.  Her 2-year old asked every day
if he could nurse, which of course broke her heart.  This mother continued to
pump and once a month had her milk tested by geiger counter.  It took six
months for her milk to return to a safe level of radiation.  Her child was still
asking to nurse.  When she got the official word that her milk was safe, she
offered her breast at the child's next request, and he joyously latched on and
continued nursing for at least a year longer.
       Depending on the drug that is used, chemo can have more or less
extreme effects on the mother's comfort (nausea, etc.) and energy level.  And a
toddler may or may not come back to breast when it is considered safe to do so.
But if she has the energy to pump, she might want to keep stimulating the
breasts, even if the chemo causes a significant loss of milk supply, so that there
would be milk there after treatment, in case the toddler is still interested.
       Some cancer docs are concerned that the chemo drugs will store in
tissues of the body, to be released slowly over time, and so discourage mothers
from pumping with an eye to possible reinstatement of the breastfeeding
relationship.  These docs feel that the chemo toxins will slowly leach back out of the
tissues they have stored in, and therefore reach the child through the
breastmilk.  Other docs feel that each drug has its own specific half-life, and that
after an appropriate number of half-life time periods, the milk is safe for
consumption.  Since this is still a matter of controversy, this mother would
need to discuss this with her doctor and make a decision for herself based on
what she learns.
       Breastfeeding interferes with ovulation.  Because the ovaries are
given some months (usually) of respite from their work, that is considered to be
the reason breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
Based on this, I would not think that continued pumping should somehow make it
harder to eradicate the cancer, though I don't know of any studies that have
specifically addressed this.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

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