Abstract
Data regarding clinical characteristics, therapy, maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy-associated acute myeloid leukemia (PA-AML) are limited. This study (including 138 cases published between 1955 and 2013) provides comprehensive assessment of these clinical parameters and may serve as a platform for developing management recommendations. Most patients (58%) received anthracycline–cytarabine-based regimens (ACBRs), which were associated with significantly increased complete remission (CR: 91%). Yet, the maternal overall survival (OS: ∼30%) was relatively low, probably reflecting reduced application of risk-adapted consolidation and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Fetal exposure to ACBRs resulted in a live birth rate of 87%, with complications (16%) diagnosed only in chemotherapy-subjected neonates. This study demonstrates safety and efficacy of ACBRs during pregnancy. Therapy and delivery schedule should allow early referral of high-risk patients to allo-SCT. Generation of a pool of high-quality data on PA-AML could contribute to providing evidence-based therapy and lead to improved maternal and fetal survival.
Potential conflict of interest
Disclosure forms provided by the authors are available with the full text of this article online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10428194.2017.1347651.