Hodgkin lymphoma in pregnancy

The peak incidence of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) coincides with reproductive years, and as many as 3 % of all HL patients present with concurrent pregnancy. The management of a pregnant patient with HL requires a multidisciplinary approach combining expertise in medical oncology, high-risk obstetrics, and neonatology, as well as effective communication with the patient and her family. The goal is to optimize the mother's chance of a cure while allowing for delivery of a healthy child. A pregnant patient with HL should be staged by clinical examination and judicious use of non-radiation imaging such as ultrasound, balancing the need for accurate disease assessment with the need to minimize invasive procedures. The treatment strategy is individualized to the symptoms, lymphoma stage, gestational age and the patients' wishes. Therapeutic options include treatment deferral or single-agent vinblastine with reservation of multi-agent chemotherapy until the second or third trimester for the small minority of patients with aggressive clinical presentation.