Several studies, presented at the ESMO congress, show that, after the 3rd month, a pregnant woman with cancer can undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy without risk for the child.
Children exposed to chemotherapy or radiation therapy while still in their mother’s womb do not experience abnormal cardiac or mental developments. This is what reveals the synthesis of several international studies unveiled at the ESMO Congress (European Society of Oncological Medicine) 2014 organized in Madrid.
“When chemotherapy is administered after the first trimester of pregnancy, no problem is discernible in children,” explains Dr Frédéric Amant, from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.
In one of the studies conducted by Dr. Amant, 38 children exposed to chemotherapy before birth saw their mental development and heart health compared to 38 control children. The results are very positive: evaluated at around 2 years of age, the mental development – measured by the Mental Development Index – of the 76 children was normal and there were no significant differences between the two groups. Cardiac dimensions and functions were also normal for these two groups.
A second study, conducted by the same team, sought to understand the impact of radiotherapy on the development of the embryo. Among 16 children and 10 adults whose mothers received radiation therapy during pregnancy, the study shows that neuropsychological findings, behavior and overall health were normal. One of the 16 children suffered from severe mental retardation, but other factors in the pregnancy could be the cause.
For Dr Amant, “fears of the risks associated with chemotherapy should not be a reason for terminating a pregnancy, delaying cancer treatment for the mother or giving birth to the child prematurely”.
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