[A pregnant woman with gastric cancer and placental involvement].

BACKGROUND

About 200 pregnant women in the Netherlands are yearly diagnosed with cancer. Pregnant women with cancer are often diagnosed later than non-pregnant women because symptoms of cancer are common during pregnancy and may elude suspicion. We report a patient with gastric carcinoma masquerading as hyperemesis gravidarum.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 39-year-old pregnant woman was admitted at 25 weeks' gestation for the evaluation of persistent nausea, vomiting and weight loss (29 kg) since the beginning of her pregnancy. A presumptive diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum was made. Endoscopic examination was not performed. At 28 weeks' gestation caesarean was performed due to fetal distress and revealed a gastric tumour with abnormalities of the omentum. Microscopic examination of the omentum and placental specimen demonstrated poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma cells.

CONCLUSION

This case illustrates that endoscopic examination should be conducted in pregnant patients presenting with persistent gastrointestinal symptoms for the differential diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum.