Treatment of metastatic rectal squamous cell carcinoma in a pregnant patient

Nathan S Kau1, Jeannie C Kelly2, Hyun Kim3

  • 1Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA nathan.kau@wustl.edu.

BMJ Case Reports
|February 20, 2024
PubMed

Rectal squamous cell carcinoma is an exceedingly rare form of rectal cancer, with limited data available regarding its presentation and effective treatment. Rectal cancer occurring during pregnancy is uncommon as well. This is a case of metastatic rectal squamous cell carcinoma presenting in a 22-week pregnant, female patient in her early 30s. The patient was treated with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin and delivered a healthy male child born via uncomplicated vaginal delivery at 35 weeks. This article demonstrates that despite the rare nature of this cancer, in the already rare context of pregnancy, effective and safe treatment is possible with a multidisciplinary team.

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