Pregnancy outcome following cancer chemotherapy.

The outcome of pregnancies of patients who received aggressive chemotherapy was examined. Of 448 patients screened, 30 had 12 abortions (10 elective and two spontaneous) and 28 live births. Follow-up of off spring revealed no major malformations. In addition, growth, development and school performance were normal. These results support the contention that chemotherapy administered to women prior to gestation or after the first trimester may result in normal births in the majority of cases. Moreover, the available data suggest that chemotherapy given to men at or prior to the time of conception does not appear to result in fetal damage. These results may be of value in counseling cancer patients regarding risks to their offspring.