Breast Cancer Chemo During Pregnancy Does Not Harm Fetus

Undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer when pregnant does not pose any risk to the unborn child though they have lower birth weight, according to a new study published in the journal The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers led by the German Breast Group studied more than 400 pregnant European women who had breast cancer.

All of the women were undergoing chemotherapy and the researchers found that there was no higher risk of birth defects in the babies and any complications were more likely to be those of premature birth with 50 percent of the women giving birth prematurely compared to the general average of 10 to 15 percent.

"Our findings emphasize the importance of prioritizing a full-term delivery in women who undergo chemotherapy while pregnant. Our work suggests that treating patients with breast cancer while pregnant is possible, and there is no need to interrupt the pregnancy or receive inferior therapy", German Breast Group's Professor Sibylle Loibl said.



Source: Medindia