How I treat leukemia during pregnancy

Abstract

Leukemia in pregnancy remains a challenging therapeutic prospect. The prevalence is low at ∼1 in 10 000 pregnancies, and as a result data are limited to small retrospective series and case reports, rendering evidence-based recommendations for management strategies difficult. The management of the leukemias in pregnancy requires close collaboration with obstetric and neonatology colleagues as both the maternal and fetal outcomes must be taken into consideration. The decision to introduce or delay chemotherapy must be balanced against the impact on maternal and fetal survival and morbidity. Invariably, acute leukemia diagnosed in the first trimester necessitates intensive chemotherapy that is likely to induce fetal malformations. As delaying treatment in this situation is usually inappropriate, counseling with regard to termination of pregnancy is often essential.For chronic disease and acute leukemia diagnosed after the second trimester, therapeutic termination of the pregnancy is not inevitable and often, standard management approaches similar to those in nongravid patients can be used. Here, the management of the acute and chronic leukemias will be addressed. (Blood. 2014;123(7):974-984)

Pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia is a unique disease that requires a different approach

“…58 Although the data are sparse, 8 it is generally recommended that female patients of childbearing age avoid pregnancy while taking a TKI and that TKI treatment should be withheld during pregnancy if the patient is in deep molecular remission. [58][59][60][61] It is strongly recommended that teenage girls with CML be counseled early about reproductive considerations to increase their adherence to long-term treatment.…”

Chronic myeloid leukemia and pregnancy: patient and partner perspectives

“…Recurrent skeletal malformations as well as abnormalities in the renal, respiratory, and gastrointestinal system have been recorded [10]. Case reports and case series describing pregnancy outcomes in women taking secondgeneration TKIs suggest similar risks [3,6,11,12].…”

Common Types of Cancer in Pregnancy

“…3,24,25 Malignant melanoma, according to some reports, is the most common. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39] Hematological malignancies are the fourth most frequent.…”