Case Report: Advanced Colorectal Cancer Diagnosed and Treated With Chemotherapy During Pregnancy

Arianna Galante^1*Marco Cerbone¹Giuseppe Sorgente¹Pasquale Moramarco¹Tommaso Difonzo¹Gennaro Cormio^1,2Marco Marinaccio¹Raffaello Alfonso¹Ettore Cicinelli¹Antonella Vimercati¹

• ¹Universita degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Dipartimento Interdisciplinare di Medicina, Bari, Italy
• ²Istituto Tumori Bari Giovanni Paolo II IRCCS, Bari, Italy

Introduction. Cancer during pregnancy is a rare event and often presents at an advanced stage due to delayed diagnosis. Clinical symptoms are frequently misattributed to normal pregnancy changes, leading to diagnostic challenges. Moreover, concerns regarding fetal safety limit the use of certain imaging modalities and treatment options. Managing cancer in pregnancy requires careful coordination across specialties to balance maternal treatment with fetal preservation. Case-report. We present the case of a pregnant woman diagnosed in the second trimester with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. The disease involved multiple intra-abdominal sites, and the patient was managed through a multidisciplinary approach. Chemotherapy with FOLFOX scheme was administered during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, leading to a favorable clinical and radiologic response. Delivery was planned at term, with no complications for the newborn. Postpartum oncologic management was continued without delay. Conclusion. This case highlights the importance of individualized care in such complex scenarios and the feasibility and safety of administering chemotherapy during pregnancy.