Natalie Kister
Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy
This article, Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy, written by Catherine Saint Louis, describes the new research information on cancer treatments on expecting mothers and the effects the treatments had on their children. This topic has often been debated in the cancer research and health world-the question as to whether it is healthy for a baby and its mother to undergo chemotherapy while the mother is still carrying the child. Performed at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, this study found no significant differences in the hearts and brain function for children whose mothers had undergone treatments while pregnant. Dr. Frédéric Amant, the head author of this project, said, “To some extent it is surprising because cancer treatment is quite toxic...and we know most chemotherapy drugs cross the placenta.” Prior to this study, when a mother carrying a baby was diagnosed with any type of cancer it was most often suggested that they either terminate their pregnancy if it were early enough, or go through induced labor in order to begin treatment as soon as possible. Now, the researchers at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven hope neither of these precautions will be needed to be taken. When testing this experiment, all babies were within their second and third semester, as the birth defect rate of a first semester embryo would have been to great. At 18 months and 3 years, each children was examined with a test known as the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The scores these babies received were compared with a control group-babies born on the same timeline but with no treatments given to their mothers. Those treated for cancer did not have any type of higher score on these tests-rather it was determined that it was the children’s prematurity that led to certain scores. Dr. Amant states, “Prematurity was the problem for these children, but chemotherapy is not.” As well as testing brain functions, the children’s hearts were also tested using electro and echocardiography. It was found that the groups had no significant differences in their heart’s functioning and its ability to pump blood. Although this study had limitations-the relatively small sample size and the types of chemo drugs tested-the doctors in this research project remain hopeful that the results will offer reassurance and “cautious optimism” to doctors and mothers that cancer treatment during pregnancy is not detrimental to the fetus.
As the rate of cancer in the world increases, the likelihood of a mother being diagnosed during pregnancy also increases. As of now, only about 1 in every 1000 mothers are diagnosed during a pregnancy. With the growing rates, the information found in this study can be used to reassure mothers and give the option of being treated and delivering a healthy baby. The new information found can give hope to any mother-we can avoid the sad cases where a baby is left without a mother because of the lack of cancer treatment during pregnancy.
I thought that this article was very well written and displayed information in a logical order that was easy for a reader to understand. Any new terms or things the average person may not have known about were explained in simple language. The article flowed nicely from idea to idea and direct quotes from the researchers were featured throughout it, which I thought was a nice thing to have. To have made this article better, I think that quotes or opinions from the mothers who underwent this treatment would have been interesting. I would have loved to hear how their opinion changed from beginning to end and what their motives were for participating in this study.
Louis, Catherine Saint. "Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.
ing-pregnancy.html?action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream
_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=20&pgtype=sectionfront>.
I thought Natalie’s review on the article “Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy” by Catherine Saint Louis, was very interesting and well written. I thought she did a great job with structuring the review so that it was organized and flowed well. She began by setting by up a foundation and explaining why doctors were hesitant about giving pregnant patients chemotherapy. She then went on to explain the experiment and the results from that research that showed how babies whose mothers underwent chemotherapy during pregnancy had no abnormalities. Secondly, she did a good job of explaining each point, especially the beginning of the review. She was able to form a strong base which helped me understand the rest of the review and how the study impacted types of treatments for pregnant patients. She also did a nice job of including a quote, which really added to the piece. She integrated it well and showed the opinion of the scientists working on this study, which really helped clarify and connect the review.
ReplyDeleteOverall, she did a great job explaining and shortening the article so that we could comprehend what was happening. However, I think she could have added more to the significance. This study is truly important to cancer research, and has a large impact on how chemotherapy affects pregnant patients. It reveals a lot about possible therapies, and leads to bigger questions about the fetus and why the chemotherapy didn’t hurt the babies. I also think she could have broken down the results into simpler parts, and have explained them more thoroughly. She did do a good job at describing it, but a little bit more would have made it more understandable, especially when it came to establishing the differences, or the lack of them, between the two babies.
This article was very interesting, and I think it's great that chemotherapy does not affect the children. This study changes the perspective of cancer treatment on pregnant patients and helps reduce the worry many mothers probably have regarding the unintentional harm they may inflict on their children.
Great job Natalie! Your entire review was really good, a pleasure to read! One thing that you did really well was the summary as a whole; all the ideas of the article were included in a logical and clear way that set up the review really well. Your explanation of the results of the study were also very clear so it was easy to follow and understand the point of the study and what it ended up accomplishing. Finally, I thought how you included quotes from the lead doctor in the study really enhanced your entire review because you wove them in so seamlessly in order to prove your point.
ReplyDeleteEven though you did a great job, I still think you could work on some certain areas. For example, your section on the significance of this discovery was a little weak. For such an important discovery that could potentially save the lives of countless people, your comments on it were sparse and simply mentioned that it was important but didn’t really go into detail why. I also think you could’ve talked more about the limitations of the study. You gave a few examples of how the study was limited but a little more detail would have been helpful.
This article was really fascinating to read and it is a great scientific advancement that it has been discovered that chemotherapy during pregnancy doesn’t harm the fetus. The study is a great start to many advancements in cancer research I’m sure puts many women’s minds to rest about the chance that they become pregnant and get cancer at the same time.
Louis, Catherine Saint. "Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/29/health/study-offers-support-for-cancer-treatment-during-pregnancy.html?action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=20&pgtype=sectionfront>.
The main aspect of this article is the question of whether it is safe for expecting mothers to undergo chemotherapy, and the study done in Belgium that shows that there are no major effects to babies born while mothers are treated with chemotherapy. Natalie discussed how chemotherapy drugs are known to penetrate the placenta, which is why typically when a mother is diagnosed with cancer she is advised to either terminate the pregnancy or give birth prematurely. The review was written in a easily understandable manner and Natalie did a good job of explaining the findings of the experiment and what effect they will have on future cancer treatment.
ReplyDeleteI think Natalie could have added more about the effects this study will have on the future of chemotherapy treatment on pregnant women. These findings are very beneficial to people who have to make the decision about what they will do about their cancer treatment while they are pregnant. The shortcomings of the study could have also been discussed more deeply. It was briefly mentioned that the size of participants was small and so was the range of chemotherapy drugs used.
I thought this article was interesting because if what the study claims is true this will save hundreds of mother’s lives that would have put off treatment so they wouldn’t harm their baby. Parents can have a sense of relief knowing that they won’t be harming their child while undergoing cancer treatment. As the rate of cancer rises, so will the rate of pregnant women with cancer and this study can give those mothers a little piece of mind. I am not sure that I believe that the results of the experiment will be the case all the time. We know that chemotherapy drugs are toxic, so I don’t see how they could have no effect on the baby if it’s been proved that these drugs permeate the placenta.
I really like the article Natalie chose because I had no idea that pregnant women were able to undergo chemotherapy without it having effects on the baby. You explained the facts very clearly to help me understand how the scientists did the testing and how they knew for sure it did not harm the babies. You also showed that some babies who’s mothers were getting treatment for chemo did get worse but it was only because they were premature babies. I like the way you organized your review and you included all the important information which made it interesting and not too long.
ReplyDeleteI am confused on to how they were able to test real mothers during pregnancy if they didn’t know the effects. How did they prepare for if the chemotherapy hurt the babies? I am surprised mothers would have signed up for this, but maybe they were willing to possibly lose their babies to save their own lives. I also would’ve liked to read more about how widely spread this therapy will be and what changes it will make to cancer research.
The review was really important because this therapy will save so many lives of mothers and their children. Before this, many women would have to decide between undergoing chemotherapy to save their life or not, and saving their babies. This was a terrible decision they had to make and now this will resolve the decisions which is a huge deal. I agree with Natalie in that I’m interested to learn more about what the mothers had to say and how they felt about their treatment throughout the process. Overall, I liked this article because it is very important for cancer research and I wouldn’t have known about it if it wasn't for her current event.
I enjoyed reading the review of the New York Times article “Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy.” The new research about cancer treatment on expecting mothers and its effects was well-written and easy to comprehend. At the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, the research indicated that there was no differences in the heart and brain function of the children whose mothers had undergone cancer treatment while pregnant, despite chemotherapy drugs crossing the placenta. The process of the research conducted was thoroughly written and sequentially showed the steps taken to gather the data. All babies were within their second and third semester as the birth defect rate of the first semester embryo too great. The children were examined through the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and compared to the control group babies; born on the same timeline, but no cancer treatment given to their mothers. The children of mothers treated for cancer did not have a higher score on these tests, but rather the prematurity of the child was a greater indicator. Furthermore, using electrocardiography and echocardiography, the different experimental groups showed no significant differences in heart function and the ability to pump blood. The errors of the experiment were clearly addressed. The sample size was too small and the type of chemotherapy drugs did not differ.
ReplyDeleteThe review used too many quotations that did not clearly explain how this research was significant and did not differ from the summarized information. In addition, the difference between the control group of babies and the experimental group of babies was hard to distinguish.
This is groundbreaking research, as it was proven that chemotherapy does not affect the fetus. This alleviates the stress, anxiety and sadness of pregnant woman with cancer, as they are not forced to choose or worry for the health of their child.
Louis, Catherine Saint. "Study Offers Support for Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2015. .