Monitoring the Diagnosis and Management of Acute Leukaemia In Pregnancy Study.

Acute leukaemia (AL) is an aggressive but potentially curable cancer that can affect women of childbearing age. When a pregnancy is complicated by a diagnosis of AL, clinicians face a complex dilemma: to balance risking the mother's survival through delaying treatment, against the potential harm to the foetus through exposure to cancer drugs. Reports suggest that, providing the first trimester is avoided, successful treatment of AL during pregnancy is possible, and considered safe. However, there is currently no standard approach to treatment of these women. This observational study aims to monitor and record the current treatment and outcomes of patients diagnosed with acute leukaemia during or prior to pregnancy. Patients will receive the treatment recommended by their doctor, the study will not alter the treatment pathway of participants. This study will establish a new research database of Leukaemia in Pregnancy, initially collecting data from cases since August 2009, and any new cases that are diagnosed during the current funding period. The initial planned analyses from this dataset will enable more robust, evidence-based recommendations to be made on how to monitor and manage these patients, and will add value to and improve the existing British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) guidelines, which were largely derived from expert opinion. This should enable healthcare professionals to have greater confidence in managing these patients, leading to a more standardised approach to providing high quality care. The study will benefit National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and patients across the United Kingdom (UK) through more informed clinical decision making with regards to the care they receive. It will also provide an important data resource which researchers can apply to use in further analyses, with plans to continue data collection if further funding is obtained.