Management of coexisting Hodgkin's disease and pregnancy

The management of pregnant women with active Hodgkin's disease (H.D.) should be individualized depending on the stage, the presence of infradiaphragmatic involvement, and age of gestation. Seventeen women aged 16-31 years with coexisting H.D. and pregnancy were followed between 1969 and 1982. H.D. was diagnosed during pregnancy in 15 patients and two became pregnant while on treatment. Seven women whose pregnancies were allowed to proceed uninterrupted were irradiated to supradiaphragmatic sites to doses of 1,500-2,000 rad during the second or third trimester; all had full term spontaneous normal deliveries and normal infants. Fetal doses ranged from 2-50 rad. Two patients treated with Vinblastine throughout three pregnancies delivered normal full term infants. Pregnancy was interrupted in six patients at 6-20 weeks of gestation for various reasons. In spite of several months delay in initiation of definitive therapy, the outcome of H.D. was not adversely affected in the majority of uninterrupted pregnancies as evidenced by long term disease-free survivals of 6-11 years in four of seven patients who were irradiated; the children now aged 6-11 years are also alive and reported normal.