In a rare and medically complex case on Mother’s Day, doctors at BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital successfully delivered a healthy baby girl to a 32-year-old woman undergoing treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia during pregnancy.
The patient, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, was diagnosed with the aggressive blood cancer in the fifth month of pregnancy after having previously experienced a stillbirth. According to doctors, the case posed a major challenge as the medical team had to manage a fast-progressing cancer while ensuring the safety and growth of the foetus.
A multidisciplinary team led by Dr Dharma Choudhary and Dr Alka Sinha devised a treatment strategy aimed at controlling the disease while prolonging the pregnancy for as long as medically possible.
Balancing treatment and pregnancy
“Acute lymphoblastic leukemia during pregnancy is an extremely rare and high-risk condition that requires urgent intervention,” said Dr Choudhary, Chairman of Haemato Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant at the hospital.
“The challenge lies in controlling an aggressive cancer while carefully balancing foetal safety. Through coordinated multidisciplinary care and timely chemotherapy, we were able to stabilise the disease and safely prolong the pregnancy to improve neonatal outcomes.”
At 32 weeks and four days of pregnancy, doctors detected foetal growth restriction and altered blood flow to the baby during monitoring, prompting an immediate decision for delivery.
An emergency caesarean section was performed on May 7 by Dr Sinha and her surgical team, resulting in the birth of a baby girl weighing 1.28 kg.
Both the mother and child are currently stable, hospital officials said. While the newborn remains under specialised neonatal care, the mother is preparing to undergo definitive treatment for leukemia.
‘Highly sensitive pregnancy’
“This was a highly sensitive pregnancy, not only medically, but emotionally, given the patient’s previous pregnancy loss,” said Dr Sinha, Director of Gynaecology and Head Unit of Laparoscopic Surgery at the hospital.
“Our focus was to safely extend the pregnancy for as long as possible while continuously monitoring both mother and baby. Timely intervention and close multidisciplinary coordination played a critical role in achieving a positive outcome.”
The patient said the constant support and reassurance from the medical team helped her cope with the uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy. Holding her daughter for the first time, she described it as the most emotional moment of her life.
Hospital officials said the case highlights the growing capability of multidisciplinary teams in managing high-risk pregnancies complicated by serious medical conditions such as cancer.
