Cancer survivors prone to stillbirth

[Chief Editor]

Cancer survivors prone to stillbirth
Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:31:02 GMT





Women who have received radiotherapy to treat cancer during childhood are at a greater risk of suffering a stillbirth, a new study says.

According to the study published in The Lancet, female cancer survivors who have been irradiated during the course of childhood cancer treatment are more likely to have unintended long-term effects on reproduction.

Such adverse outcome, however, was noted among male children who had been irradiated after being diagnosed with a childhood cancer as new sperm is produced throughout the life.

"This is reassuring not only for male survivors of childhood cancer but also for men exposed to ionizing radiation in occupational or other settings," said lead researcher Lisa Signorello.

High doses of radiation, particularly to the pelvis, may affect the development of the uterus and ovaries, causing germ line damage and consequently increased risk of stillbirth and neonatal death.

Chemotherapy, on the other hand, was not associated with such complications, the study found.

"We would always carefully monitor the pregnancies, but there is a limit to what we can do to prevent stillbirths and early deaths in these cases," said Signorello, urging physicians to closely monitor pregnancies in those who have received radiation treatment before menarche.
PKH/PKH