Melanoma and pregnancy

Herein we analyze three important issues concerning melanoma and pregnancy: 1) While initial case reports and case series predicted a grim prognosis for the woman diagnosed with melanoma during pregnancy, we summarize more recent controlled studies that suggest that pregnancy has no effect on survival in women diagnosed with localized cutaneous melanoma. 2) We review the prognosis for the fetus when a woman is diagnosed with melanoma during pregnancy. While melanoma is the most common malignancy to metastasize to the placenta, metastatic melanoma to the fetus appears to be a rare event. 3) How do we answer questions about future pregnancies and hormonal therapy when counseling women who have been diagnosed with melanoma during pregnancy or the childbearing years? Will future pregnancies worsen prognosis? Based on limited data, pregnancies subsequent to a diagnosis of localized melanoma do not appear to impact prognosis. Are oral contraceptive pills or hormonal replacement therapy contraindicated in these women? Strong epidemiologic evidence suggests that exposure to oral contraceptive pills do not increase the risk for melanoma. Although only a small number of studies have addressed the risk of hormone replacement therapy, the reports demonstrate that this also does not appear to enhance the risk for developing melanoma.