The authors offered several possible explanations for the higher pregnancy rates among women with melanoma, including the possibility that a cancer diagnosis could bring some couples closer together and “reorder” their priorities about starting a family.
“Another hypothesis is that families facing a melanoma diagnosis may decide to complete childbearing sooner in case the cancer recurs and subsequent treatment compromises fertility. Either way, the increased likelihood of pregnancy after melanoma diagnosis suggests an optimism about their future among families in the current childbearing generation in the United States,” they wrote.
The authors cautioned that the database does not include information about disease stage, and that “more detailed stage information is needed before revisiting recommendations.”
The study was supported by a Barsumian Trust grant; the authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
SOURCE: DiSano JA et al. J Surg Res. 2018 Jun 16. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.05.026.