The Cancer Drug Development Forum (CDDF) is pleased to share the key takeaways from our recent webinar, “Long-term outcomes of in-utero exposure to cytotoxic therapy.”
This webinar was held on 4 December 2025 and featured insightful presentations from speakers Agnes Saint-Raymond and Frédéric Amant (UZ Leuven). The talks were followed by an engaging Q&A session moderated by Agnes Saint-Raymond and Jaap Verweij.
Key Takeaways
- Pregnant females with cancer should NOT, by default, be excluded from clinical studies with novel anticancer agents, and data show they are willing to participate.
- There are abundant scientific data available that show that several drugs used in oncology (including cytotoxics) can be given safely to pregnant patients with cancer, particularly from the 2nd trimester of pregnancy onward, without negatively affecting fetal development.
- There are animal models available that can help predict absence or presence of in utero exposure of the unborn child to novel anticancer agents.
- The decidua, the maternal endometrial mucosa part from which the placenta develops during pregnancy, is full of receptors related to the immune system. Therefore, drugs affecting these receptors cannot easily be used and studied during pregnancy.
- Endocrine and HER2 antibody (HER2Ab) treatment is recommended to be postponed until after delivery.
- It is key to proactively further discuss the option of inclusion of pregnant cancer patients into clinical trials, and to involve patient organizations into the discussion.
To watch the recording of the webinar, click the link: https://youtu.be/zIj5ffeZEAo
For speaker presentations, visit the CDDF website: https://cddf.org/events/past-events/cddf-meetings-2025/long-term-outcomes-of-in-utero-exposure-to-cytotoxic-therapy-is-involving-pregnant-patients-an-absolute-no-go-in-cancer-drug-development/