Pregnancy Outcome Following Treatment During Childhood or Adolescence for Hodgkin's Disease

Abstract

To evaluate the outcome of pregnancies occurring after the completion of treatment for Hodgkin 's disease in children or adolescents, questionnaires were sent to 93 former patients diagnosed after January 1, 1960, who were currently 18 or more years of age and 5 or more years from the date of diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease. Forty-eight pregnancies were reported by twenty-two of the former patients or their spouses. Fifteen female patients had thirty-three pregnancies, of which three were electively terminated, two aborted spontaneously, four were stillborn, and twenty-four resulted in the birth of full-term infants, one of whom was small for gestational age. The spouses of seven male patients reported 14 pregnancies, of which two aborted spontaneously, three are in gestation, and nine resulted in the birth of full-term infants. Congenital anomalies were diagnosed in 9% (3/33) of the liveborn offspring, a frequency similar to that reported for the general population. The reported anomalies included lacrimal duct blockage, hydrocele, and ventricular septal defect. None of these children has been diagnosed with any type of childhood cancer.

Key Words:

• Hodgkin's disease
• birth defects
• complications of therapy
• pregnancy
• childhood cancer