Prescribing change, expecting more
Daphne Meganck and her husband were ecstatic when they found out she was pregnant with their second child. But that happiness quickly turned into fear - for her family and herself - when she received a diagnosis of invasive cancer. Thanks to evidence-based medical information, she had options and was able to choose what felt right for her and her…
Read more > Second opinions: opening options where there were none before
Our partner Mummy’s Star, a UK charity supporting women diagnosed with cancer in and around pregnancy, is launching its second “Cancer and Pregnancy Awareness Week.” Last year’s awareness week helped heighten awareness of how a cancer diagnosis, either in the midst of a pregnancy or soon after a birth, can impact families. This resulted in an uptake of support for…
Read more > Cancer and Pregnancy Awareness Week: Risks of delay in diagnosis can have serious impact
Lode Dewulf has studied and practiced medicine and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 25 years. Outspoken on the rights of pregnant women to receive information and treatment, Dr. Dewulf took part in the recent European Gender Medicine Network (EUGenMed) Sex and Gender conference at the at the European Economic and Social Commission, giving a talk entitled “Safe…
Dr. Frédéric Amant is at the forefront of cancer and pregnancy research and a member of the Pregnancy and Medicine Initiative advisory board. As part of an international expert panel, Amant meets colleagues from around the world at five-year intervals to discuss the diagnosis and management of cancer in pregnancy. The panel draws on its own professional experience and reviews…
Read more > An interdisciplinary approach to cancer in pregnancy
The Pregnancy and Medicine Initiative has talked a lot about the data gap around pregnancy and medication. We’ve also highlighted how hard it can be to collect such information. Practical and ethical roadblocks exist which can hinder the gathering of this vital data but it’s crucial that a way around it is found. A large-scale study in Europe is attempting…
Read more > Is it possible to collect data directly from pregnant women?
Catherine*, 37, works in public health and has suffered from severe depression for more than a decade. She takes Prozac but refused to let this stop her from pursuing her dream of having a family. This is her story. (*real name changed for anonymity.) I was diagnosed with major depression in 2004, when I was 26 and I began taking…
Marnix Verley, now four years old, is probably too young to realize it. But when his mother Lesley was pregnant with him, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. His parents faced the difficult choice between terminating the pregnancy and treating the cancer with chemotherapy. Advised by Dr. Frédéric Amant, they opted for treatment, and, after six rounds of chemo, Lesley…
Read more > A decade of cancer and pregnancy research at KU Leuven
