Modern radiotherapy in cancer treatment during pregnancy

Abstract

Breast cancer, gynecological malignancies and lymphomas are the most frequently diagnosed tumors in pregnant women. The feasibility of radiotherapy during pregnancy remains a subject of debate and clinicians continue to hesitate on this approach, trying to avoid radiotherapy in most cases. Since the 1990s, several technological advances, including intensity modulated and image guided radiation delivery, have been implemented in radiation oncology to improve the radiation treatment in terms of effectiveness and tolerability. It remains uncertain which short- and long-term health effects the radiation exposure of the fetus may have through advanced radiotherapy techniques. The present systematic literature review aims to summarize the limited current evidences of the feasibility and clinical results of "modern" radiotherapy procedures for the treatment of the most frequently diagnosed tumors in pregnant women.

Keywords: Cancer; Pregnancy; Radiotherapy; Review.