Coexistence of Pregnancy and Malignancy

Cancer complicating pregnancy is a rare coexistence. The incidence (in the US) is approximately 1 in 1,000 pregnancies. The most common cancers are those more frequently seen during the reproductive age of a woman. Breast cancer, cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, malignant melanoma, and leukemias are the most frequently diagnosed malignancies during gestation.

The diagnostic and therapeutic management of the pregnant patient with cancer is especially difficult because it involves two lives, the mother and the fetus.

This paper includes a review of four main areas:

• The therapeutic and diagnostic management of these patients
• The safety of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• The metastatic pattern of the maternal tumors to the placenta and fetus
• The potential recommendations for therapeutic abortion.

For a PDF of the full report, click on the link above to go to The Oncologist.