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| The following article features coverage from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2019. Click here to read more of Oncology Nurse Advisor‘s conference coverage. |
A diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) during pregnancy does not appear to significantly reduce the 5-year overall survival of mothers, according to study findings presented at ESMO Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. It can, however, result in obstetrical complications such as preterm delivery and low birthweight.
Using the International Network on Cancer registry, researchers identified and assessed the clinical data from 134 pregnant patients with HL diagnosed between 1969 and 2018. The survival of pregnant patients with classical HL was compared with that of nonpregnant patients with classical HL. Both groups had equivalent stage and prognostic scores at diagnosis and were treated with an ABVD-based regimen.
The median gestational age at maternal diagnosis was 20 weeks, with an overall range of 3 to 37 weeks. Ten early pregnancies were terminated. Approximately 53.7% of patients chose to initiate chemotherapy while pregnant. In one case, the fetus died in the third trimester after 3 cycles of chemotherapy. A total of 120 (89.6%) pregnancies resulted in a live birth. However, 47 patients experienced preterm delivery. Additionally, 17.9% of the children exposed to chemotherapy in-utero were small for gestational age at birth, and 3.5% of children had major congenital malformations.
The 5-year progression free survival for mothers with early- and late-stage HL was 82.5% and 90.9% respectively. The 5-year overall survival was 97.3% and 100% for mothers with early and advanced HL. Notably, the study included very few patients with advanced-stage disease. The authors noted, “Although further prospective research on the efficacy of chemotherapy during pregnancy is necessary, survival of patients diagnosed with early stage HL during pregnancy appears not to be statistically different from matched non-pregnant controls.”
Reference
Amant F, Maggen C, Dierickx D, et al. Obstetric and maternal outcome of 134 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed during pregnancy: results from the INCIP registry. Presented at: ESMO Congress 2019; September 27-October 1, 2019; Barcelona, Spain. Abstract 1069PD.
