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Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in the Pregnant Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review

  • case report
  • Published:
Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery Aims and scope

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related death in the USA. However, the antepartum diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the pregnant patient is exceedingly rare, with only six cases previously reported in the literature. Optimizing both maternal and fetal health outcomes is particularly challenging when surgical procedures are necessary for staging and/or therapeutic purposes—as these interventions often pose significant risks to both the mother and the developing fetus. In this article, we report a case of pancreatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed during pregnancy and review the literature on the management issues confronted in this unique clinical situation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Sigall Bell and the Principal Clinical Experience Writing Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) for guidance and support in the preparation of this manuscript, Dr. Matthew Turner for providing the pathology images, Dr. Deborah Levine for assistance with review of radiologic images, and the Carl J. Shapiro Institute of Medical Education and Research at BIDMC for support of the Principal Clinical Experience.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Rose M. Kakoza

  2. Department of General Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Stoneman 9, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Charles M. Vollmer Jr. & Douglas W. Hanto

  3. Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA

    Keith E. Stuart

  4. Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Keith E. Stuart

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Tamara Takoudes

Authors
  1. Rose M. Kakoza
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  2. Charles M. Vollmer Jr.
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  3. Keith E. Stuart
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  4. Tamara Takoudes
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  5. Douglas W. Hanto
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Correspondence to Charles M. Vollmer Jr..

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Kakoza, R.M., Vollmer Jr., C.M., Stuart, K.E. et al. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma in the Pregnant Patient: A Case Report and Literature Review. J Gastrointest Surg 13, 535–541 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0697-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11605-008-0697-2

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