Prescribing change, expecting more
This is a story of one woman, Liz Joice, who thought she could never have a child because she had been treated for cancer in her early 30s. But then, she became pregnant, and one month into that pregnancy her cancer returned. Liz and her partner faced the impossible decision: conduct a full MRI scan to find out the full…
Read more > Choosing between mom or baby: one mother’s tragic story
There are no clear-cut answers about using chemotherapy to treat cancer in pregnant women – and current advice is usually given on a case-by-case basis. But the fact that doctors do use chemotherapy to treat certain cancers in mothers-to-be today stems from studies started 40 years ago, in Mexico. In 1973, Dr. Agustin Aviles, a doctor working in the public…
These days many women don’t have to deal with the question of whether they’ll be able to have children until later in life – perhaps when they’re in a stable relationship, they’ve settled in a home, or they’ve reached a point in their career where pregnancy seems right for them. But for others, like those who’ve suffered from cancer at…
Read more > When cancer comes young, can pregnancy come later?
What advice should be given to a pregnant woman with cancer? As we try to close the information gap around this subject and call for a centralization of expertise on this subject, events like the International Meeting on Cancer and Pregnancy, which was held at the end of November 2013, are essential. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQHLjqqvaU4 It is possible to treat cancer during…
Read more > International Meeting on Cancer & Pregnancy: closing the information gap
There’s growing research into the role of the placenta as a “filter,” protecting unborn children from the effects of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. But most of the research out there focuses on more common types of cancer. But what happens when a pregnant woman is diagnosed with a more unusual type of cancer? Such as one affecting the blood?…
Read more > Rare cancers in pregnancy – what should a doctor do?
Dr Frédéric Amant from the Leuven Cancer Institute in Belgium is taking the lead on treating cancer in pregnancy. Back in 2004, a pregnant cancer sufferer came to his team seeking to terminate her pregnancy – this made him realize how little was being done for mothers-to-be with cancer. This patient marked a starting point, motivating him to research the…
When there are two lives to consider, which one do you choose? That was the question doctors faced when they discovered that Caroline Swain had breast cancer – she was just a few weeks into her pregnancy at the time. Caroline’s pregnancy formed part of a wider study into treating pregnant women with cancer. And against all the odds, she…
Read more > The impossible dilemma: fight cancer or save your child
