Frequently Asked Questions   /   Cancer Treatment Options   /   Chemotherapy

Pregnant Women Exposure to People Undergoing Therapy

Print PDF

Last Modified: April 14, 2007

Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"

I am 16 weeks pregnant and taking care of my mother who is being treated for pancreatic cancer. She will begin chemotherapy in a few weeks. Are there any risks for me or the baby to be around this situation?

Carolyn Vachani RN, MSN, AOCN, OncoLink's Nurse Educator, responds:

While receiving chemotherapy or external beam radiation therapy, your mother is not radioactive or toxic to you or your baby. Most chemotherapy is excreted from the body within 48 hours through the urine and stool, but could be present in the vomitus. Therefore, you should avoid being the person to clean up any of these substances (i.e. if she has an accident or vomits), since we just can't be sure how much of the drug is left in the excrement. Otherwise, there are no special precautions recommended.