Successful labor in the course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and management of CLL during pregnancy with leukapheresis

Abstract

We describe the successful management of a 30-year-old woman in the second trimester of her pregnancy with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in stage IV by using only leukapheresis. We applied three sessions (courses) of leukapheresis throughout the pregnancy. The procedure did not have any significant adverse effect on the patient and the fetus. The patient gave birth vaginally to a healthy boy, weighing 3100 g, at 39 weeks of gestation. Seven months after delivery, Richter's syndrome developed in the patient. We conclude that leukapheresis may provide an alternative for palliative treatment to chemotherapy in pregnant patients with CLL. To our knowledge, this is the fourth reported case of CLL in pregnancy, and the first management of CLL during pregnancy with leukapheresis.