Stomach cancer and pregnancy

Stomach cancer during pregnancy is extremely rare and accounts for 0.025-0.1% of all pregnancies, while most cases of stomach cancer associated with pregnancy are diagnosed by specialists at a late stage, since its main symptoms (vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, increased abdominal size) are mistaken for early toxicosis during pregnancy and the likelihood of the development of malignant neoplasms is underestimated. Optimal management of this category of patients requires a multidisciplinary approach (including oncologist, obstetrician, surgeon, anesthesiologist, gastroenterologist, radiologist and neonatologist), which establishes the sequence of therapy. In the article, we presented our own experience of treating and monitoring this category of patients in the form of two clinical cases that clearly demonstrate an extremely unfavorable prognosis for a combination of stomach cancer and pregnancy. According to the literature, the five-year survival rate in this category of patients is zero, while in most cases the patient's death occurs within six months after surgery.