Ask An Expert: Cancer in Pregnancy

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Ask An Expert: Cancer in Pregnancy

Question:

Can cancer be transferred from mother to child in the womb?

Answer:

Cancer only rarely complicates pregnancy because cancer is uncommon in younger women. Occasionally, cancer may be found or, in women previously treated for cancer, it may recur during pregnancy. Only a very few (one or two) cancers are felt to worsen or progress because of pregnancy or pregnancy-related hormones. Ultimately, the pregnancy outcome depends most on mother's health.

Many treatments for cancer can still be offered during pregnancy, including some forms of chemotherapy. However, a pregnant woman may need therapy that could harm the fetus and the therapy can't wait until after delivery of the baby. Another concern might be the woman's prognosis, long-term health and her ability to raise a child.

Some women will consider pregnancy termination if aggressive or advanced cancer is found early in pregnancy.

If cancer arises or recurs, it is very unusual for it to spread to the fetus. Very rare cases of skin or blood cancers metastasizing to the placenta or fetus have been reported. It should be emphasized that most common cancers do not spread this way.

In the last decade, scientists have identified genes that make some people more likely to develop cancers than others. Although cancer spread to the fetus is extremely rare, genes that make certain cancers more likely to develop may be passed on to sons and daughters. Thus, the children may be at risk for developing cancer later in life.

Jeffrey Ecker, M.D. is an Associate Professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School and a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he practices maternal-fetal medicine.

Last updated:	March 06, 2007
Reviewed By:	Faculty of Harvard Medical School