Intraperitoneal chemotherapy in a pregnant woman with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND

Ovarian cancer diagnosed in pregnancy is rare. There is limited evidence to guide the choice of optimal chemotherapeutic management for treatment of disease during pregnancy.

CASE: A 36-year-old primigravid woman was diagnosed with stage IIB grade III serous adenocarcinoma at 12 weeks of gestation. After extensive counseling, she opted for intraperitoneal chemotherapy. She received four cycles during the course of the pregnancy, and treatment was complicated by thrombocytopenia and mild preeclampsia. Delivery occurred by cesarean at 37 weeks of gestation, resulting in the birth of a live male neonate weighing 4 pounds 11 ounces with bilateral congenital talipes equinovarus.

CONCLUSION

Pregnant women with ovarian cancer should be offered the opportunity to maximize their survival, including standard chemotherapeutic regimens used in nonpregnant patients.