Onkologie. 2020:14(2):85-87 | DOI: 10.36290/xon.2020.015

Prenatal and postnatal management of children exposed to cancer treatment in utero

Vít Drochýtek

Gynekologicko-porodnická klinika FNKV a 3. LF UK v Praze

Malignancy diagnosed during pregnancy poses a threat to both maternal and fetal life. For the vast majority of patients pregnancy itself does not worsen their prognosis. When considering cancer treatment in pregnancy we avoid jeopardizing patients' survival by delay of treatment while simultaneously aiming for on-term delivery since prematurity is a major driver of neonatal mortality and morbidity. Thanks to growing evidence regarding the safety of such treatment more children are exposed to cancer treatment in utero. Administration of chemotherapy, in particular, requires careful fetal surveillance and optimal obstetric management. Despite the generally good outcome of these children, postnatal follow-up till adulthood is recommended.

Keywords: pregnancy, chemotherapy, flowmetry, prematurity, neurocognitive development.

Published: June 2, 2020  Show citation