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 mothers-to-be with cancer.
This patient marked a starting point, motivating him to research the effects of chemotherapy in pregnancy. But while his findings are surprising and reassuring, it will take time before doctors are confident about the long-term consequences of using chemotherapy on pregnant women.