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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

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Direct and indirect effects on child neurocognitive development when maternal cancer is diagnosed during pregnancy:

Indra A Van Assche1, Jurgen Lemiere2, Frédéric Amant3

  • 1Department of Development and Regeneration: Woman and Child, KU Leuven, Belgium.

Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology
|September 29, 2022
PubMed

Cancer during pregnancy threatens the lives of mother and foetus and its incidence is rising, making it an emerging medical challenge. Evidence on the direct impact of cancer therapies on neonatal outcomes resulted in general guidelines for maternal treatment that safeguards foetal development. Less focus has been placed on indirect factors, in pre- and postnatal periods, that may exert long-term impacts specifically on child neurocognition. Foetal development, in the context of maternal cancer during pregnancy, may be influenced directly by exposure to cancer diagnostics and (co-)treatment, or indirectly through maternal inflammation, malnutrition, hormonal fluctuations, prematurity, and psycho-biological stress. Maternal stress and insecure mother-infant bonding related to postpartum cancer treatment may further impact child cognitive-behavioural development. Understanding the independent and synergistic effects of the factors impacting neurocognitive development creates the opportunity to intervene during the oncological treatment to improve the child's long-term outcome, both by medical and psychosocial care and support.

Keywords:
Cancer in pregnancyCancer treatment impact on neonatal outcomesFoetal programmingIndirect effects of cancer treatmentInsecure mother-infant bondingNeurocognitive developmentPostnatal cancer treatmentPrenatal cancer treatment

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