Management and outcome of metastatic melanoma during pregnancy

Although metastatic melanoma occurrence during pregnancy challenges the physician in several ways, only a few studies have been published.

Our aim was to investigate therapeutic management together with maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnant women with advanced melanoma.

A French national retrospective study was conducted in 34 departments of Dermatology or Oncology. All patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III/IV melanoma diagnosed during pregnancy were included. Data regarding melanoma history, pregnancy, treatment, delivery, maternal and infant outcomes were collected.

Twenty-two women were included: 10 AJCC stage III and 12 stage IV. Abortion was performed in three patients. Therapeutic abstention during pregnancy was observed in three cases, 14 patients underwent surgery, four patients received chemotherapy and one patient was treated with brain radiotherapy alone. The median gestational age was 36 weeks amenorrhoea. Neither neonatal metastases nor deformities were observed. Placenta metastases were found in one case. Among 18 newborns, 17 are currently alive (median follow up, 17 months); one died of sudden infant death. The 2-year maternal survival rates were 56% (stage III) and 17% (stage IV).

Faced with metastatic melanoma, a majority of women chose to continue with pregnancy, giving birth, based on our samples, to healthy, frequently premature infants. Except during the first trimester of pregnancy, conventional melanoma treatment was applied. No serious side effect was reported, except one case of miscarriage after surgery. Mortality rates do not suggest a worsened prognosis due to pregnancy but larger prospective controlled studies are necessary to assess this specific point.