How does chemoradiation affect pregnant women?

Question

Hi doctor,

My wife is pregnant. During her first trimester, her doctor suspected some growth in her cervix and a biopsy was done. Her pathology of cervical tissue states squamous cell carcinoma of non-keratinizing. It also says that the specimen contains creamy white, irregularly shaped, solid, and soft tissue fragments. Kindly guide us. What does it mean? Is it cancer? Is it a serious condition for her? Will it affect our baby? There were no other tests done and her doctor advised her to have chemoradiation. Is it harmful to her in this condition? What is the best course of action? Kindly advice.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Your wife's biopsy reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity) indicate that your wife is suffering from cervical cancer. Pregnancy with cervical cancer is managed based on a lot of factors. As your wife is in her first trimester, waiting till the end of pregnancy to save the baby can put your wife's life at risk and there are chances to have spread of cancer cells in her body. I think that the stage of malignancy remains advanced and so your doctor has decided to give chemoradiation to your wife. It is better to talk with your doctor and discuss the course of action depending on the stage of the disease.