Pregnancy Doesn't Boost Hodgkin Lymphoma Remission Risk

A new study published on Dec. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology revealed that pregnancy does not necessarily increase the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma relapse.

The research conducted by Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University, a Sweden-based medical facility, confirmed that women who were successfully treated with Hodgkin lymphoma should not be too concerned about being pregnant.

A kind of cancer that begins in the white blood cells or lymphocytes, Hodgkin lymphoma is Sweden's major medical issue as it affects more than 160 people every year in the country.

Most women affected by this disease are young, between 20 and 40 years old, and many of them want to get pregnant after a successful treatment.

However, a possible relapse within the pregnancy period is not something they want to experience. Med Page Today shared that the researchers ruled out that possibility in the study.

"We found no evidence that a pregnancy after diagnosis increases the relapse rate among women whose Hodgkin lymphoma is in remission," said Caroline E. Weibull, one of the researchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Nevertheless, Weibull admitted that a possible relapse might not going to happen because of pregnancy. However, she noted that the possibility of recurrence "during the first two years" following treatment is very high in comparison to two years after treatment.

"Another potential reason for waiting is that some women prefer additional time to recover from the effects of the treatment. These considerations must be balanced with the possibility that it may take longer to conceive and that the treatment may advance the onset of menopause," she added.

The situation raises concerns amongst patients and some doctors if pregnancies after a successful Hodgkin lymphoma treatment are safe.

The result should put the debate into rest. The recent study was comprised of 449 women diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma from 1992 to 2009. An investigation was conducted whether women affected by the disease, -- ages between 18 and 40 and responded to the treatment successfully -- did not have any relapse after being pregnant compared to those who did not go through pregnancy, Oncology Nurse Advisor reported.

Among the women included in the study, 144 out of 449 women became pregnant and subsequently gave birth without any issues. The study showed that 47 women experienced a Hodgkin lymphoma relapse and only one woman had a relapse within the next five years after giving birth.

The result should provide a clear notion to patients and doctors that pregnancy does not increase risk of Hodgkin Lymphoma recurrence, the news portal shared.