title: Cancer and pregnancy: the clinician's perspective.
abstract: Although uncommon, the incidence of cancer complicating pregnancy is increasing. Managing these pregnancies creates many diagnostic, therapeutic, and ethical dilemmas for the patient, her family, and the medical care team. Despite concerns for fetal well-being, maternal survival should be the first priority. Although surgery and chemotherapy may be used during pregnancy, radiation is generally contraindicated. For most nongynecologic cancers, termination of pregnancy does not improve maternal outcome. Iatrogenic prematurity is the most common pregnancy complication associated with malignancy in pregnancy because many of these infants are delivered early to facilitate maternal treatment. Overall, maternal cancer survival is generally good and does not differ from that of nonpregnant patients.
authors.affiliation: Resident, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dotters-Katz
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.affiliation: Instructor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado Hospital, Denver, Colorado.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Limmer
authors.affiliation: Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuller
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D019337:Hematologic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery