
Non-invasive prenatal testing can detect silent cancers in expecting mothers
Pregnancy is a unique physiological state in which several changes occur. One of the most important aspects is the maternal immune system, which sets to tolerate the presence of the developing fetus (a semi-allogeneic organism), while at the same time providing protection against pathogens. Pregnancy has long been known to affect the risk of certain cancers including breast cancer in the short term, gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD), cervical cancer, and melanoma. The reasons for the increased risk of these cancers during pregnancy are not fully understood, but several hypotheses have been proposed as the hormonal and immune system changes. Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) offers a safer and more accurate alternative to amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling (CVS) for screening against chromosomal abnormality associated with severe malformations and neurological alterations[American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the International Society for Prenatal Diagnosis]. However, this is a complex and delicate issue, and structured recommendations, in this context, have proven to be inefficient since the decision to undergo prenatal testing is frequently a personal one.