How Oncogene-Driven Lung Cancer May Impact Pregnancy and Motherhood

By: Victoria Kuhr, BA
Posted: Monday, January 23, 2023

D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, and colleagues suggested pregnancy and motherhood for women with advanced oncogene-driven non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may likely increase as patient survival increases. Additionally, patients and providers are encouraged to register when patients with cancer become pregnant, since the available case report data describing pregnancy and motherhood are limited. These cases can be registered via an institution affiliated with the International Network of Cancer, Infertility, and Pregnancy or via a direct patient contact with the Cancer and Pregnancy registry. These findings were published in Clinical Lung Cancer.

The study included women of child-bearing age with advanced oncogene-driven NSCLC. All women were treated at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

A total of 55 patients of child-bearing age treated at the University of Colorado Cancer Center were included in the study. Of them, 50 had oncogene-driven NSCLC from 2010 to 2021. Additionally, 9 women (16%) were diagnosed with NSCLC during or within a year of pregnancy. Like prior reports, this study found that early pregnancies at or after diagnosis were terminated, and a later pregnancy was delivered preterm to avoid fetal exposure to targeted therapy. Of the 55 women, 6 pursued having a child after initiating treatment for cancer with targeted therapy; 2 became mothers via adoption and 1 was successful via a gestational surrogate.

These findings suggest that gestational surrogacy and adoption are feasible for women with oncogene-driven NSCLC. However, the effects of targeted therapies on pregnancy remain understudied.

Disclosures: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit www.clinical-lung-cancer.com.

Clinical Lung Cancer

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