A mini review on pregnant mothers with cancer: A paradoxical coexistence

Publication date: Available online 9 February 2016 Source:Journal of Advanced Research Author(s): Sotirios Mitrou, George Zarkavelis, George Fotopoulos, Dimitrios Petrakis, Nicholas Pavlidis The diagnosis of cancer during pregnancy at least in the Western world is a rare phenomenon, but this might be raised into the future due to late pregnancies in the modern societies. The coexistence of pregnancy and cancer implicates numerous medical, ethical, psychological and sometimes religious issues between the mother, the family and the treating physician. Breast, cervical cancer, melanoma and lymphoma are the most common malignancies diagnosed during pregnancy. Diagnostic or therapeutic irradiation requires careful application, whereas systemic chemotherapy is not allowed during the first trimester of pregnancy due to lethal or teratogenic effects as well as to congenital malformations. In some gestational cancers, tumor cells can invade the placenta or the fetus. Graphical abstract
Source: Journal of Advanced Research - Category: Research Source Type: research