Pregnancy-Associated Cancer: A Case Report of a Gastric Cancer Diagnosis in the III Trimester of Pregnancy and Subsequent Management

Abstract

The co-occurrence of gastric carcinoma and pregnancy is very rare event. Diagnosis is often delayed, frequently at an advanced stage due to the nonspecific symptomatology, which can be confused with the normal physiological symptoms of pregnancy. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is essential to initiate the treatment of maternal pathology as early as possible, with the goal of delivering at a moderately preterm gestation age to ensure favorable neonatal outcome. We present a case of gastric carcinoma diagnosed during the third trimester, where the earliest presentation included liver metastases, and the primary tumor’s location was unknown. Throughout our observation period, we conduced clinical-laboratory monitoring, a preliminary radiological staging of the illness (considering the limitations imposed by pregnancy), and a histological diagnosis with biopsy sampling. An elective cesarean section was performed in the moderately preterm period, following the completion of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) prophylaxis.