Pregnancy outcomes among leukemia survivors: a population-based study on 14.5 million births

Leukemia is the most common cancer among children and young adults and an increasing number of affected patients can expect a full recovery and long-term survival. The study objective was to determine the prevalence of leukemia survivors among pregnant women and to examine the maternal and fetal outcomes of this population.

We conducted a retrospective population-based cohort study on all births recorded in the Health - Care Cost and Utilization Project - Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 1999 and 2014. We measured the prevalence of leukemia survivors in pregnancy and performed multivariate logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios for maternal and fetal outcomes among this group compared to a nonaffected one.

Our cohort consisted of 14,513,587 births, of which 1,269 were to women with a history of leukemia or leukemia in remission, corresponding to a prevalence of 8.74 per 100,000 births. The prevalence rose steadily over the 16-year study period. Pregnant women who were leukemia survivors were more likely to experience gestational diabetes (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08-1.70), threatened preterm labor (1.50, 1.09-2.08), venous thromboembolism (4.40, 2.86-6.78), and to require blood transfusions (1.89, 1.24-2.88). Preterm deliveries (1.25, 1.02-1.54) and congenital anomalies (2.32, 1.39-3.86) among their newborns were also more common.

The prevalence of leukemia survivors among pregnant women has been steadily rising. While the disease may no longer be active during their pregnancy, leukemia survivors appeared to have increased risks of several adverse outcomes and as such, should be monitored closely in centers with access to specialized care.