title: The Rare and Challenging Presentation of Gastric Cancer during Pregnancy: A Report of Three Cases.
abstract: Pregnancy-associated gastric cancer is extremely rare. In many cases, it is diagnosed at an advanced stage because the symptoms during pregnancy are generally overlooked. We report three cases of gastric cancer during pregnancy with various outcomes. The first case included a patient with stage IV gastric cancer who received palliative chemotherapy. This patient had a preterm birth and died 7 months after diagnosis. The second case received neoadjuvant chemotherapy during pregnancy and a total gastrectomy was performed after delivery. She then received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. This patient developed pulmonary metastasis and died of recurrence 41 months after surgery. In the third case, a distal subtotal gastrectomy was performed at week 14 of pregnancy, with no complications. The patient received adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. She is currently without recurrence 14 months after surgery. In patients with pregnancy-associated gastric cancer, treatment decisions are predominantly influenced by clinical stage and gestational age at diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Surgery Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Digestive Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Eduardo Pereira, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.affiliation: Digestive Surgery Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.; Esophagogastric Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Sotero del Río, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Norero
authors.affiliation: Digestive Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Eduardo Pereira, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Canales
authors.affiliation: Digestive Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Eduardo Pereira, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Esophagogastric Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Sotero del Río, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: María Elisa
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Esophagogastric Surgery Unit, Hospital Dr. Sotero del Río, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Digestive Surgery Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jarufe
keywords: Carcinoma, signet ring cell; Pregnancy; Stomach neoplasms