Managing thoracic tumors during pregnancy

Abstract

Thoracic tumors during pregnancy is a rare coexistence. Only 66 cases of lung cancer have been published during the last two decades. Gestational thymomas and mesotheliomas are even more infrequent gestational tumors. Among lung tumors, non-small lung cancer is the most common type. Almost all cases are presented with locally advanced or disseminated disease. Chemotherapy and/or targeted treatment exhibits poor therapeutic results, while overall survival is dismal with almost all patients dying in less than 12 months. Although newborn outcome is in most of the cases uneventful, gestational lung cancer shows high predilection in invading the products of conception (placenta and fetus). © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016.