MONDAY, March 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Recommendations are presented for the management of pregnant patients with cancer in a Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Consult Series endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and published in the March issue of Pregnancy.
Noting that the incidence of cancer is increasing among reproductive-age individuals, Moti Gulersen, M.D., from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues provide evidence-based recommendations for the medical and obstetric management of patients with cancer.
According to the authors, ultrasonography and noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are suggested as first-line imaging for evaluation of pregnant patients with suspected cancer. If clinically indicated, computed tomography (CT), with or without contrast, gadolinium contrast for MRI, and fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography plus CT should not be withheld. Thromboprophylaxis initiation is recommended for all patients with active hematological or gynecological cancers during pregnancy; based on individual risk factors, thromboprophylaxis should be considered for all patients with nonhematological or nongynecological cancers during pregnancy. Surgery for cancer treatment should not be delayed or withheld from a pregnant patient at any gestational age. Provided that the patient wants to continue the pregnancy, and that delaying chemotherapy is not expected to significantly change the patient's prognosis compared with initiation immediately after diagnosis, chemotherapy should generally be administered after 12 weeks of gestation. Clinician-initiated preterm delivery should be avoided when possible to improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of children exposed to chemotherapy in utero.
"Cancer treatment will need to be individualized based on the type and stage of cancer, the stage of pregnancy, and our patient's desire to continue the pregnancy," Gulersen said in a statement.