Cervical Cancer and Pregnancy: Main Principles of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment and Pregnancy Management
Objective of the Review: To provide up-to-date information about cervical cancer detected during pregnancy. Key Points: This review focuses of the main principles of diagnosing and treating cervical cancer during pregnancy as well as managing pregnant women with this condition. Several main principles of anti-tumor treatment for cervical cancer in pregnant women have been identified, which do not only help achieve acceptable survival rates, but also maintain pregnancy in most patients with stage I-IIB tumor (as defined by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2009). The authors describe a number of studies that demonstrated the safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy as part of combined-modality treatment and its role in prolongation of pregnancy. Pregnancy at different stages of gestation does not impair the outcomes of combined-modality therapy (surgery and medication) in patients with stage I-IIB cervical cancer. Conclusion: During pregnancy cervical cancer is most often diagnosed in young women who have not realized their reproductive potential. In most cases, modern cytostatic therapy makes it possible to undertake radical surgery at a later date and even to perform a conservative procedure. Careful, regular follow-up by qualified surgeons, obstetricians, and chemotherapists at a specialist clinic is essential for good treatment outcomes in this patient population.