Children of parents treated by irradiation and chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease

Data are presented on the course of pregnancy, delivery and subsequent development of 20 children born to parents treated for Hodgkin's disease. Thirteen women in clinical stage II and III were delivered of 16 infants (10 daughters and 6 sons), and three men (IIA and IIIA) had 4 daughters. The parents were in one case treated by irradiation only, twice by chemotherapy only and thirteen times by a combination of irradiation and chemotherapy (COPP/ABVD). The gestation period, parameters of the infants at delivery and their subsequent physical and mental development were normal. In one instance (a girl, now ten and a half years old) the child was born with malformations of the extremities; according to the geneticist this is not related to the previous treatment of the mother. The second child (a son) of this mother is normal. The authors apply their opinion in the therapeutic protocol not to irradiate nodes in the pelvic region in patients of fertile age. In treated patients they allow pregnancy only after three or preferably five years following the end of treatment. Survival of patients in the whole group (269 subjects) regardless of age and clinical stage is 75%. A data base of Hodgkin patients has been set up since 1968. (author) 2 tabs., 14 refs