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Fetal Outcome After In Utero Exposure to Cancer Chemotherapy
Donna Zemlickis;
Michael Lishner, MD;
Pamela Degendorfer, MA;
Tony Panzarella, MSc;
Simon B. Sutcliffe, MD;
Gideon Koren, MD
Arch Intern Med. 1992;152(3):573-576.
Abstract
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Background.—
Cancer is the second leading cause of death of women during the reproductive years, and its occurrence in pregnancy is between 0.07% and 0.1%.
Methods.—
To analyze the effect of cancer on pregnancy, we compared 21 pregnancies occurring during 30 years in women who received chemotherapy for their cancer with a control group matched for maternal age and composed of women not exposed to known teratogens or reproductive risks during pregnancy.
Results.—
Of 13 women exposed to chemotherapy during the first trimester, two of five whose pregnancies continued to term had major malformations in their infants, four had spontaneous abortions, and four had therapeutic abortions. Of four women with second-trimester exposure to chemotherapy, two had normal live births, one had a stillbirth, and one had a therapeutic abortion. All four pregnancies exposed to chemotherapy during the third trimester resulted in healthy live births. Infants exposed to chemotherapy had statistically significantly lower birth weights than their matched controls (2227±558 g vs 3519±272 g, P<.001), due to both significantly lower gestational age and substantial intrauterine growth retardation (P<.01). The trend for higher rate of stillbirth (1/11) agrees well with 10 stillbirths among all women with cancer in pregnancy without and with chemotherapy who gave birth (n = 223), when compared with the population of Ontario (P<.0005).
Conclusions.—
This study confirms the increased likelihood of spontaneous abortions and major birth defects when chemotherapy is used during embryogenesis, whereas such a risk is not apparent beyond the first trimester. Because of the higher risk of stillbirth and intrauterine growth retardation, women with cancer should be monitored closely by a high-risk obstetric unit to define the optimal time of delivery.
(Arch Intern Med. 1992;152:573-576)
Author Affiliations
From the Motherisk Progam, Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (Ms Zemlickis and Dr Koren), Department of Pediatrics and The Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children (Ms Zemlickis and Dr Koren), the Department of Pediatrics and Pharmacology, University of Toronto (Ms Zemlickis and Dr Koren), and the Departments of Biostatistics (Ms Degendorfer and Mr Panzarella), Medicine (Dr Lishner), and Radiation Oncology (Dr Sutcliffe), Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. Dr Koren is a Career Scientist of the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Footnotes
Accepted for publication September 27, 1991.
Reprint requests to Division of Clinical Pharmacology, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1x8 (Dr Koren).
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