28-Year-Old Pregnant Woman Gets Life-Saving Breast Cancer Care

Coordinated care from physician experts helped save the life of 28-year-old Taylor Niemetz.

Niemetz had a CHEK2 mutation, a genetic abnormality that can increase your risk of developing breast cancer. When she was 22 weeks pregnant, she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma (the most common type of invasive breast cancer), which starts in the milk ducts and spreads to nearby tissue.

Taylor’s care team included experts in oncology, obstetrics and gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine, and primary care, spanning University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center’s Tate Cancer Center and Aiello Breast Center as well as University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and its Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer (UMGCCC).

The care team presented Taylor’s case at a multidisciplinary tumor board for discussion and to evaluate treatment options. Because of her pregnancy, Taylor could not undergo X-rays or the usual extensive imaging. Her treatment began with a lumpectomy in October 2022, followed by the first stage of chemotherapy in November 2022.

Once the baby had developed enough, it was time for Taylor to deliver. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl at UMMC on New Year’s Day in 2023. Two weeks later, Taylor began a second round of chemotherapy, followed by a bilateral mastectomy and the beginning stages of breast reconstruction in April 2023. In August, she began radiation therapy, which concluded in September after 25 sessions. She now takes an oral chemotherapy medication combined with hormone therapy to reduce the chance of tumor recurrence.

Thanks to our team’s incredible coordination and expertise, Taylor is enjoying life as a new mother – and cancer survivor.