Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7fkt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T07:53:02.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 28 - Cancer

from Section 4 - The pregnant patient with coexisting disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2013

Marc van de Velde
Affiliation:
University Hospital Leuven
Helen Scholefield
Affiliation:
Liverpool Women's Hospital
Lauren A. Plante
Affiliation:
Drexel University College of Medicine
Get access

Summary

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer in pregnant women is a clinical and ethical challenge for medical care workers. The complex medical, ethical, psychological, and religious issues arising in pregnant women with cancer demand care from a multidisciplinary team with obstetricians, oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pediatricians, geneticists, and psychologists. Surgery can be performed safely during pregnancy. The placenta seems to fulfill its barrier role for most of the chemotherapeutic drugs and reduces fetal exposure to chemotherapy. Radiation doses used in cancer therapy are in the range 30-70 Gy. Biological agents have the potential to affect the fetus and should be used with caution during pregnancy. Supportive treatment for pregnant women is possible, similar to non-pregnant women. Considering the gestational period, surgery, chemotherapy (not in the first trimester), and radiotherapy (not in the third trimester) can safely be applied in pregnancy. Hormonal therapy and trastuzumab should be deferred until after birth.
Type
Chapter
Information
Maternal Critical Care
A Multidisciplinary Approach
, pp. 313 - 321
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×