Abstract
Many physicians remain reluctant to administer chemotherapy during pregnancy. Chemotherapy is cytotoxic and interferes with cell growth. When chemotherapy is given during the first trimester of pregnancy, the period of organogenesis, there is an increased risk of structural anomalies. When given beyond the first trimester, chemotherapy does not cause other or more congenital malformations. Several studies have reported on the short- and long-term outcome of children exposed to chemotherapy during the second and third trimester of pregnancy with reassuring results for neurocognitive development and cardiac functions. A single case of secondary malignancy in the child was reported. Chemotherapy administration during pregnancy may lead to lower birth weights, but biometry curves seem to normalize during the first months of childhood. Prenatal exposure to platinum-based antineoplastics may induce hearing loss, especially when high dosages are used. Since prematurity has been related to decreased cognitive functioning, postponement of delivery can be achieved by maternal cancer treatment during pregnancy. Overall, the use of several chemotherapeutic agents during pregnancy is considered safe and could help optimizing patient management without compromising fetal outcome.
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Acknowledgement
Frédéric Amant is senior clinical researcher for the Research Foundation-Flanders (F.W.O.). Tineke Vandenbroucke and Magali Verheecke are research fellows at the Research Foundation-Flanders.
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Vandenbroucke, T., Verheecke, M., Vercruysse, D., Amant, F. (2016). Neonatal and Long-Term Consequences of In Utero Exposure to Systemic Anticancer Therapy. In: Azim Jr, H. (eds) Managing Cancer during Pregnancy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28800-0_9
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