Breast Cancer During Pregnancy Can Be Treated as in Nonpregnant Women

Future studies should address not just the toxic effects of chemotherapy during pregnancy but also the pharmacokinetics of cytotoxic agents in pregnant women, because the physiologic changes of pregnancy can greatly affect drug disposition, said Dr. Olivier Mir and Dr. Paul Berveiller.

"Whether doses should be increased in this population is uncertain because such increases could result in severe thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and infection, with potentially devastating consequences for both mother and baby," they noted.

More research also is needed to determine whether the slightly increased fetal risks identified by Dr. Loibl and her colleagues could be minimized with better drug selection and dosing, they added.

Dr. Mir and Dr. Berveiller are in the Cancer Associated With Pregnancy Network, Paris. Dr. Mir is also in the department of medical oncology at Hôpital Cochin at the Université René Descartes, Paris. Dr. Mir reported ties to Roche, Pfizer, and Servier. These remarks were taken from their editorial comment accompanying Dr. Loibl’s report (Lancet Oncol. 2012 Aug. 15 [doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(12)70331-5]).