Cancer and Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The co-occurrence of cancer and pregnancy is fortunately a rare event. It is a challenging situation for all involved parties, as the risks and benefits of oncological treatments should be balanced for both the mother and the offspring. This work offers guidance to clinicians regarding the choice of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, as well as regarding the management of the pregnancy. ABSTRACT: Cancer diagnosis and treatment in pregnant women is a challenging situation. A multidisciplinary network of specialists is required to guide both, the expecting mother and the unborn child through the diagnostic workup and the cytotoxic therapy, by balancing the respective risks and benefits. Tumor entity, stage, biology and gestational week at diagnosis determine the appropriate approach. As premature delivery emerged as one of the main risk factors for adverse long-term outcome of the progeny, it should be avoided, if reasonable from the oncological perspective. This article offers a comprehensive review with respect to the various aspects of cancer in pregnancy.