ABSTRACT
Fortunately, both the diagnosis of cancer during pregnancy and the diagnosis of pregnancy during the active treatment of a previously diagnosed cancer are rare occurrences, with cancer affecting approximately 1 in every 1000 pregnancies. In cases where cervical cancer is diagnosed early in pregnancy and termination is an acceptable option, investigators have described the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Treatment of early-stage lesions is focused on surgical excision and can be performed safely in pregnancy as described previously. While thyroid cancer is the most commonly diagnosed malignancy occurring in pregnancy, it is more likely to be diagnosed during pregnancy because of its predilection for females of reproductive age. As with most agents described here, animal studies in early pregnancy have demonstrated increased resorption, spontaneous abortion, and gross fetal abnormalities. However, in one of the largest series to date, Aviles et al. reported on the long-term follow-up of 84 children and grandchildren of patients treated with chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies during pregnancy.
