title: Leukemia during pregnancy: long term follow up of 32 cases from a single institution.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is limited information regarding the outcome of patients treated for leukemia during pregnancy. This study was performed on all cases of leukemia during pregnancy identified in our institution leukemia database.
  
  
  METHODS
  It is a retrospective study from our existing database. Thirty two cases were identified among the cohort of patients treated for acute and chronic leukemia between January 1991 and July 2003.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the acute leukemia patients (n=21), 10 patients (47.6%) received chemotherapy during pregnancy, seven had live birth and three had spontaneous abortion. No teratogenicity or congenital malformations or postnatal complication were reported. The remaining 11 (52.4%) were not given chemotherapy while pregnant; three patients presented after 34 weeks of gestation ending in normal live births and then received chemotherapy and eight patients had abortion before starting chemotherapy. Among the chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients (n=11), nine patients received hydroxyurea, one patient received alfa-interferon and one patient was treated with leukapheresis. Eight patients had normal live births and three patients had abortion. Out of the 32 patients, 18 patients (56.2%) subsequently underwent HLA matched sibling allogeneic stem cell transplantation, seven for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), two for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and nine for CML. After a median follow up of 16 years, five patients (15.6%) are alive in remission (one from chemotherapy group and four from SCT group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our report lends credence to the safety and feasibility of administering anti-leukemic therapy in acute and chronic leukemias during pregnancy although acute leukemia patients had possibly a poor long term outcome compared to non-pregnant patients.
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alhejazi
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Syed Osman
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Mohareb
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: AlSharif
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hazza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: AlZahrani
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Said Yousuf
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rasheed
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghuzayel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: AlDawsari
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Shad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Wahiba
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chebbo
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ghada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: ElGohary
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Muhamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almahayni
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: chaudhri@kfshrc.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Naeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chaudhri
authors.affiliation: King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aljurf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Acute leukemia; Chemotherapy; Chronic leukemia; Pregnancy