Don't get pregnant during radiotherapy for laryngeal cancer

Wang Xiao and her husband Zhang Xin have been married for three years. Zhang Xin is the eldest son in the family, and the responsibility of carrying on the family line has put a lot of pressure on him. Wang Xiao was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer six months ago. He recovered well after surgery and is currently in the radiotherapy stage. The couple also wanted to have a baby of their own. Since Wang Xiao was still in the chemotherapy stage, they were undecided and went to the hospital for consultation. However, the doctor's words made them completely give up the idea of ​​having a child.

Radiotherapy and anti-tumor drugs can cause serious damage to the fetus, especially for female patients. Pregnancy at this time is undoubtedly a double whammy. Therefore, contraception must be used during radiotherapy.

The pain of radiation that the fetus and pregnant woman cannot bear

Laryngeal cancer patients already have various discomfort symptoms, and the radiation exposure during radiotherapy is not only large but also long, which can easily lead to poor appetite and low food intake, which in turn leads to various nutritional deficiencies. If the patient is pregnant at this time, the mildest case is that she will not be able to tolerate chemotherapy due to malnutrition and low immunity, and the severe case will make the laryngeal cancer symptoms worse and delay treatment.

The fetus may also suffer from growth disorders due to malnutrition and interference from radiotherapy, and may even suffer from miscarriage, premature birth or deformity. In addition, chemotherapy can cause low immunity and leukopenia in patients, making them prone to various infections. Severe infections may even threaten the lives of pregnant women and fetuses.

In addition, a small dose of reflected radiation can cause gene mutations in reproductive cells, and the damage can be restored by stopping the radiation. However, if a large dose of radiation is received at one time, it may cause chromosome breakage in reproductive cells, resulting in lifelong infertility, and even if a woman becomes pregnant, the baby will be deformed.

The huge lethality of anti-tumor drugs

Many anti-tumor drugs also have obvious teratogenic and lethal effects. In the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, obstetrics and gynecology often use fluorouracil and methotrexate to kill the embryo. The commonly used chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide can cause fetal malformation, and methotrexate can cause anencephaly and cleft palate.