Cancer During Pregnancy
Although cancer is rare during pregnancy (less than 1 in 10,000 pregnancies) it is a devastating event for the mother and the whole family. In the vast majority of the cases it does not affect the baby. However, being pregnant with cancer is very complicated for both the mother and her health care team. It is important to find a doctor / team who has experience treating pregnant women with cancer. There are cancer treatments that are safe during pregnancy, while others can harm the baby.
Therefore the woman has to decide, with the help of her health care team, on which treatment options are best for her. Some treatments (such as surgery) can be considered safe, though others (such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy) need special consideration and planning. If the pregnancy is at the very early stages, terminating the pregnancy may be offered in order that full treatment can be started. If the pregnancy is later on, early delivery may be planned in order to bring treatment forward.
It is important that the woman’s diagnosis or treatment should not be delayed (due to the pregnancy) so that the prognosis is not affected. The woman should speak to her doctors for the treatment options and the way they affect her recovery.
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