Pregnant women from racial and ethnic minority groups who are also battling cancer face significantly higher risks of complications, according to new research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025. The study, led by Dr. Duke Appiah of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, found that these women are more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes—including hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and maternal mortality.
“Maternal mortality was high among patients with cancer for all racial and ethnic groups,” Appiah said, “but the rates were even higher for minority women.” The study revealed that women with breast and thyroid cancer had a 30% elevated risk of complications, and that cancer itself significantly worsened outcomes even within the same racial group.
Appiah pointed to preexisting conditions like hypertension and diabetes, as well as socioeconomic status and cancer treatments during pregnancy, as contributing factors. “Four in 10 women with cancer from racial and ethnic minority groups are likely to have one of the adverse pregnancy outcomes,” he noted.
Current clinical guidelines are not comprehensive, leaving physicians to make decisions without robust data. Appiah’s team hopes their findings will help inform both patients and providers. “We are providing them with information to help them make more informed decisions,” he said.
See: “Findings Reveal Gaps in Care for Pregnant Minority Women With Cancer” (June 19, 2025)
