Chemotherapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during pregnancy

A 30-yr-old woman is described with an intermediate-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, localized in the mediastinum, diagnosed in the 22nd week of gestation. Combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, teniposide and bleomycin was instituted in the second and third trimesters, resulting in regression of the tumour. Foetal distress due to pre-eclampsia forced us to perform a Caesarean section at 31 weeks of pregnancy. A healthy boy was born without congenital abnormalities. Further chemotherapeutic treatment, combined with radiotherapy, led to a complete remission of the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; the remission lasted for 6 months. A review of the literature on chemotherapeutic treatment in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during gestation is provided. Despite the limited number of cases reported, it can be concluded that chemotherapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during pregnancy is less harmful than might be thought.