Multinational prospective study of child outcomes after prenatal chemotherapy exposure: interim analysis

Platinum and taxanes are frequently used chemotherapeutic agents to treat cancer, also when diagnosed during pregnancy. A prospective study by the International Network on Cancer, Infertility, and Pregnancy (INCIP) follows children who were born to mothers with cancer diagnosed during pregnancy. Interim analysis of the study showed that among 144 children (13% prenatally exposed to platinum. 62% to taxanes, 25% to both) with median follow-up of 3.2 years (IQR 3.0-6.4) neurocognitive outcomes were within the normal ranges across all ages, compared with test-specific normative data. Prenatal platinum or taxane exposure was not associated with increases in congenital malformations or medical conditions. However, the number of older children in the analysis was limited, so further analysis of long-term effects of in utero exposure to chemotherapy is necessary.