Outcome of Pregnancy in the Era of PEGylated Interferon-α2a in Females with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: An Experience from Qatar

SOHO State of the Art Updates and Next Questions: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Pregnancy: "Per Aspera Ad Astra"

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) has evolved from an invariably fatal disease to a chronic disorder that can be treated with targeted drugs and allows survival expectations approaching age-matched controls. Thus, pregnancy and conception in CML should not be precluded anymore; however, to ensure the well-being of both the mother and the developing fetus careful planning and management are required. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are not genotoxic or carcinogenic but can pose a risk to the developing fetus, due to their teratogenic potential. The risk depends on the TKI and the stage of fetal development during exposure. Teratogenic risk is high in the first trimester of pregnancy when the baby's organs and structures are forming (5-12 weeks). If a female patient is on therapy it is advisable to stop therapy at the first positive pregnancy test (3-5 weeks) to maximize the length of treatment-free, and ideally to not treat until delivery. If needed, the medication plan during pregnancy may be adjusted. Interferons can be used at any time, imatinib and nilotinib have a reduced placental crossing and could be carefully used after 16 weeks, whereas dasatinib crosses the placenta and can induce problems throughout the whole gestation. Management of pregnancy in CML is complex. This manuscript is an update of the state of the art allowing healthcare providers to be informed of the different situations that can occur and their governance.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Pregnancy: When Dreams Meet Reality. State of the Art, Management and Outcome of 41 Cases, Nilotinib Placental Transfer

The overwhelming success of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients has opened a discussion among medical practitioners and the lay public on the real possibility of pregnancy and conception in females and males with CML. In the past 10 years this subject has acquired growing interest in the scientific community and specific knowledge has been obtained “from bench to bedside”. Embryological, pharmacological, and pathophysiological studies have merged with worldwide patient databases to provide a roadmap to a successful pregnancy and birth in CML patients. Male conception does not seem to be affected by TKI therapy, since this class of drugs is neither genotoxic nor mutagenic, however, caution should be used specially with newer drugs for which little or no data are available. In contrast, female patients should avoid TKI therapy specifically during the embryonic stage of organogenesis (5–12 weeks) because TKIs can be teratogenic. In the last 15 years, 41 pregnancies have been followed in our center. A total of 11 male conceptions and 30 female pregnancies are described. TKI treatment was generally terminated as soon as the pregnancy was discovered (3–5 weeks), to avoid exposure during embryonic period and to reduce the risk of needing treatment in the first trimester. Eleven pregnancies were treated with interferon, imatinib or nilotinib during gestation. Nilotinib plasma levels in cord blood and maternal blood at delivery were studied in 2 patients and reduced or absent placental crossing of nilotinib was observed. All of the patients were managed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians with obligatory hematological and obgyn consultations. This work provides an update on the state of the art and detailed description of pregnancy management and outcomes in CML patients.

Targeted cancer treatment and fertility: effect of immunotherapy and small molecule inhibitors on female reproduction

Targeted cancer therapy is rapidly evolving the landscape of personalized health care. Novel approaches to selectively impeding tumour growth carry significant potential to improve survival outcomes, particularly for reproductive-aged patients harbouring treatment refractory disease. Current agents fall within two classes: immunotherapy and small molecule inhibitors. These are collectively divided into the following subclasses: monoclonal antibodies; immunomodulators; adoptive cell therapy; treatment vaccines; kinase inhibitors; proteasome inhibitors; metalloproteinase and heat shock protein inhibitors; and promoters of apoptosis. The short- and long-term effects of these treatments on the female reproductive system are not well understood. As a result, clinicians are rendered unable to appropriately counsel women on downstream effects to their fertility. Data-driven consensus recommendations are desperately needed. This review aims to characterize the effect of targeted cancer therapy on the female hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis, direct ovarian function and conception.