Colon Cancer in Pregnancy: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

Abstract

A 37-year-old pregnant Japanese woman presented with right upper quadrant pain and pitting edema of the lower extremity. She had become pregnant via intrauterine insemination after a long history of infertility. She was admitted for suspected toxemia. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple liver tumors, confirmed by computed tomography. Colonoscopy showed a tumor of the transverse colon diagnosed as a signet-ring cell carcinoma following biopsy. Elective cesarean section was performed at 32 weeks of gestation, and a normal infant (1.690 kg) was delivered. However, the tumor of the transverse colon was considered unresectable, and she died 1 month later. Necropsy confirmed extensive spread of the colon cancer. The tissue contained no estrogen or progesterone receptors. Certain colorectal cancers presenting during pregnancy exhibit a biologically aggressive behavior resulting in a poor prognosis.