Pregnancy outcome in survivors of advanced Hodgkin disease.

Background: Pregnancy outcome was reported by 139 survivors of advanced Hodgkin disease treated on nine protocols of Cancer and Leukemia Group B from 1966 to 1986.
Methods: These patients provided data on 302 singleton pregnancies of a duration of at least 20 weeks that occurred before, during, or after treatment for Hodgkin disease (252, 26, and 24 pregnancies, respectively).
Results: There were 4 perinatal deaths, as compared with 5.7 expected. Cancer subsequently developed in 2 offspring (expected, 1.2). However, 22 newborn infants had low a birth weight, exceeding the expected number of 13.7 (relative risk 1.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-2.4). The excess number of low weight births occurred primarily during the period of Hodgkin disease diagnosis and treatment but is based on small numbers.
Conclusion: No increase in adverse outcome occurred in pregnancies that antedated the development of Hodgkin disease.