Management of gliomas during pregnancy

Objective To explore the management of gliomas in pregnant women.Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data in 11 pregnant women with gliomas treated at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University between January 1989 and December 2012.Results All the patients were first diagnosed with gliomas during pregnancy,including two cases during early pregnancy,four cases during midpregnancy,and five cases during late pregnancy.The main clinical manifestations were dizziness,headache,nausea and vomiting due to intracranial hypertension,accompanied by epilepsy and blurred vision,hearing and speech disorder and other neurological dysfunctions.Among the 11 patients,one received no obstetric treatment,five underwent cesarean section,three had metaphase induced labor,one had induced abortion,and one had spontaneous abortion.Five neonates appeared normal without malformation:four survived,and one with severe asphyxia died.Ten patients underwent neurosurgery,four of them were diagnosed with low-grade gliomas and six were diagnosed with high-grade glioma by pathology.Seven patients received craniotomy after termination of pregnancy,two underwent craniotomy before termination of pregnancy,and one received emergency craniotomy immediately after admission without obstetric treatment because of her critical conditions.Of the ten patients treated with craniotomy,one died after a coma for 50 days,one was lost to follow-up,six received radiotherapy plus chemotherapy,one received chemotherapy alone,and one received neither radiotherapy nor chemotherapy.Among the 11 patients,one patient who underwent cesarean section without craniotomy was lost to follow-up,one patient with low-grade glioma died 50 days after operation,one treated with craniotomy was lost to follow-up,and eight were followed up for four months to three years,among which four survived and four with high-grade glioma died within one year after operation.Conclusion The overall prognosis of glioma patients during pregnancy is poor.It is important to take into account the tumor status of the pregnant women,gestational age,fetal maturity and patient's desire for tocolysis,and weigh the pros and cons,and timely terminate pregnancy and perform neurosurgery. Key words: Pregnancy complication, neoplastic;  Gliomas;  Obstetric surgical procedures; Neurosurgical procedures