Brilliant Minds Webinar Series: “Cancer and Pregnancy”

Register now to join us on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT for our next ICRF Presents: Brilliant Minds webinar. This month, we’ll be taking a look at cancer and pregnancy with ICRF-funded scientist, Dr. Irit Ben-Aharon, Director of the Oncology Division at Rambam Health Care Center.

Cancer is currently diagnosed in only about 0.3% of all pregnancies, a frequency that is expected to rise in developed countries worldwide due to two factors: (1) the increase in the average age at pregnancy and (2) the increase in “young-onset” cancer patients over the last ten years.  Pregnant cancer patients cannot be treated with most therapies, as they pose dangers for both maternal and fetal wellbeing.

This month, you’ll hear about cancer during pregnancy from Irit Ben-Aharon, MD, PhD, Director of the Oncology Division at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus and an ICRF Project Grant recipient. Her research focuses on the toxic effects of anti-cancer therapies on fertility and blood vessels. Her webinar, which takes place during “Choose Hope® National Cancer Prevention Month,” gives us hope that by protecting these tissues it may be possible to limit the effects of chemotherapy that are detrimental to the fetus.

Key Scientific Terms

oncofertility: bridging the specialties of oncology and reproductive endocrinology to maximize the reproductive potential of cancer patients and survivors

cancer site: the location of a tumor, e.g., breast, cervix, ovary, melanoma.

placental vascular tree: the blood vessels that develop during pregnancy to feed the placenta

pre-eclampsia: a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, which can damage other organ system, e.g., liver, kidneys

doxorubicin: a chemotherapy drug (frequently sold in the US under the brand name Adriamycin) that is used to treat several kinds of cancer, including breast cancer, bladder cancer, Kaposi sarcoma, lymphoma, and acute lymphocytic leukemia.

vascular insult: injury to the vascular system

All webinars in our Brilliant Minds series are complementary, but registration is required to receive Zoom access link.

Attendees are invited to submit questions for our featured brilliant minds and speakers in advance during registration.

View the full ICRF Presents: Brilliant Minds webinar series, including past webinar recordings.

To learn about webinar and series sponsorship opportunities, please contact Alan Herman.