Cancer in pregnancy - a report on a ten-year study (1980-1989) - abstract

A review of cancer in pregnancy at the University Hospital of the West Indies over the ten-year period 1980 to 1989 is presented. The incidence of malignant disease in pregnancy and the outcome of affected pregnancies are studied. Over the period of study, 27, 871 live births were conducted. Data were analysed on all patients who became pregnant in the period of study. In those 10 years, 21 patients with cancer in pregnancy were treated. The incidence of cancer in pregnancy was found to be 0.08 percent. This compared favourably with the internationally quoted incidence of 0.07 percent to 0.1 percent. The types of malignant disease discovered were Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - 29 percent, cancer of the cervix uteri - 23 percent, malignant trophoblastic disease coexisting with live foetus - 23 percent, breast cancer and Hodgkin's disease ecah 10 percent, and leukaemia - 5 percent. This differs from the international figures in that Hodgkin's disease has been found in other series to predominate over Non Hodgkin's lymphoma in pregnancy. The derived maternal mortality due to cancer in that period was 21.52 per 100,000 live births. This conforms with the internationally stated conclusion that cancer is the leading cause of maternal mortality. The experience gained in the review suggests that there is a define indication for separate coding of this entity in the medical records of this institution and for the establishment of a Registry for the care and follow-up of all patients with this entity (AU)

Choriocarcinoma presenting as a ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy

A case of choriocarcinoma of the fallopian tube presenting as a ruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy is described. The patient's satisfactory clinical course over a twelve-month period is documented, and factors that govern the prognosis of this once rapidly fatal disease are disclosed (AU)