Clinical characteristics of gastric cancer associated with pregnancy

Abstract

Background/aims: This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical features and treatment outcome of gastric cancer associated with pregnancy.

Methods: Clinicopathologic characteristics of 15 patients who were diagnosed as having gastric cancer during pregnancy or within 1 year after delivery (the P-related group) were compared with those of 53 age-matched pregnancy-unrelated gastric cancer patients (the control group).

Results: Significant differences were found in tumor stage and surgical curability; the numbers of stage IV disease were 12 (80%) and 21 (40%; p = 0.006), and those of curative resection were 4 (27%) and 20 (62%; p = 0.02) in the P-related and the control group, respectively. Three-year survival rate was significantly lower in the P-related group (23.3%) than in the control group (52.8%; p = 0.007). In the P-related group, only 3 patients, including one patient diagnosed using endoscopy, survived without recurrences. In the multivariate analysis, pregnancy was not identified as an independent risk factor associated with poor outcome.

Conclusion: Gastric cancer associated with pregnancy is discovered at its advanced stage and consequently shows a dismal prognosis. Considering that the patients who underwent curative resection have a favorable prognosis, primary efforts should be focused on early diagnosis.