Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed during pregnancy can be safely managed without termination of pregnancy in most cases, according to new findings.

Belgian-led researchers evaluated the management and obstetric outcomes of 134 pregnant women diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during pregnancy, compared with 211 non-pregnant women with Hodgkin lymphoma matched for stage and prognostic score at diagnosis.

During pregnancy, 42% of the women received no therapy, 54% received chemotherapy and 4% had radiation therapy, the authors reported in the Lancet Haematology.

Survival with early- and advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma did not differ significantly between pregnant patients and matched controls. Moreover, survival did not differ significantly between 21 patients with early-stage disease who had a pregnancy-related delay in initiation of treatment and their controls.