The impossible dilemma: fight cancer or save your child

When there are two lives to consider, which one do you choose? That was the question doctors faced when they discovered that Caroline Swain had breast cancer – she was just a few weeks into her pregnancy at the time. Caroline’s pregnancy formed part of a wider study...

Taking the lead on treating cancer in pregnancy

Dr Frédéric Amant from the Leuven Cancer Institute in Belgium is taking the lead on treating cancer in pregnancy. Back in 2004, a pregnant cancer sufferer came to his team seeking to terminate her pregnancy – this made him realize how little was being done for...

Rare cancers in pregnancy – what should a doctor do?

There’s growing research into the role of the placenta as a “filter,” protecting unborn children from the effects of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy. But most of the research out there focuses on more common types of cancer. But what happens when a pregnant...

When cancer comes young, can pregnancy come later?

These days many women don’t have to deal with the question of whether they’ll be able to have children until later in life – perhaps when they’re in a stable relationship, they’ve settled in a home, or they’ve reached a point in their career where pregnancy seems...