This retrospective study concerns 13 patients in whom
Hodgkin's disease was diagnosed during pregnancy or immediately after delivery (group I) and 12 patients with
Hodgkin's disease who had one or several pregnancies while under treatment (group II). In group I,
Hodgkin's disease was diagnosed in early pregnancy in 4 patients who all had
therapeutic abortion: 3 remain in prolonged complete remission and 1 had a late relapse; 9 cases were diagnosed in late pregnancy or after delivery: 3 were treatment failures, 2 had a relapse and 4 remain
in complete remission. In group II patients, 3 pregnancies occurred during initial
chemotherapy and were interrupted; 5 pregnancies occurred during subsequent
radiotherapy or (for earlier patients)
maintenance chemotherapy, and 4 of them were interrupted; 9 pregnancies occurred within 2 years of completing treatment, and 7 after 2 years. Of the 12 patients in group II, only 2 had a relapse whereas 10 remain
in complete remission. Although they should be interpreted with caution, these data suggest that
Hodgkin's disease diagnosed in late pregnancy or after delivery might be more active, and they justify
therapeutic abortion when diagnosis is made in early pregnancy. They do not indicate a high risk of relapse in treated
Hodgkin's disease patients during a subsequent pregnancy, even if it occurs shortly
after treatment.