Prenatal chemotherapy exposure did not cause developmental problems in children

Fetal exposure to chemotherapy did not negatively affect the cognitive development or the cardiac functions of children after they were born, according to findings presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress .

However, a significant number of children exposed to chemotherapy in the womb were born prematurely, and the prematurity affected the children's cognitive development, the researchers found.

"Our results, so far, suggest that children who were prenatally exposed to chemotherapy seem to do as well as children in the general population, and the treatment does not influence the development of mental processes or the functioning of the heart in the children we have followed for an average of 22 month," researcher Frederic Amant, MD, PhD, a gynecological oncologist at the University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium, said in a press release.

Amant and colleagues conducted a prospective, multicenter study of children who were prenatally exposed to chemotherapy. They examined the children at age 18 months, 5 to 6 years, 11 to 12 years, 15 to 16 years and 18 years. The children were given a clinical neurological examination, testing of the general cognitive functioning, electrocardiography/echocardiography and a questionnaire on general health and development.

A total of 70 children were born to 68 mothers from 1991 to 2010. The median gestational age of the born children was 35.7 weeks, and 47 of the children were born prematurely. Neurocognitive outcome results were in normal ranges, but preterm birth had a negative effect on cognitive development. There were severe neurodevelopmental delays in both members of a twin set. The children's behavior, general health, hearing and growth were similar to that of the general population, as were cardiac dimensions and function.

"Although the role played by chemotherapy in the poor outcome in one of the twin pregnancies cannot be excluded, we believe these results do allow us to make a recommendation about chemotherapy in pregnancy," Amant said. "Pregnant women with cancer do not need to delay their cancer treatment or terminate their pregnancy. The benefits of chemotherapy to mothers outweigh any potential long-term harm to the children."

For more information:

Amant F. #12 LBA. Presented at: 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress; Sept. 23-27; Stockholm, Sweden.

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