Contents:
- Medical Video: Incredible interactive video reveals pregnancy's impact on a mother-to-be's body : Pregnancy Process
- Signs and symptoms of colon cancer during pregnancy
- How do doctors diagnose cancer is large during pregnancy?
- Is there a risk to the fetus if you have colon cancer while pregnant?
- How to treat colon cancer while pregnant?
Medical Video: Incredible interactive video reveals pregnancy's impact on a mother-to-be's body : Pregnancy Process
Colon cancer is one of the 3 types of cancer that are common in women, however, this cancer is rare in pregnant women. Even if it really arises during pregnancy, you canit is very difficult to detect the presence of colon cancer when you are pregnant because the symptoms of colon cancer are similar to the symptoms of pregnancy.
So, if you are a pregnant woman, you should know more information about colon cancer while pregnant to protect yourself and your baby. The following are things that can help you.
Signs and symptoms of colon cancer during pregnancy
As mentioned above, the common symptoms of colorectal cancer resemble the symptoms of pregnancy. These include rectal bleeding, as well as nausea and vomiting. In addition, you can experience abdominal pain, constipation, and anemia. Because of the similarities between some symptoms of colorectal cancer and pregnancy, most cases of colon cancer are diagnosed later in the late pregnancy when metastasis has spread widely.
How do doctors diagnose cancer is large during pregnancy?
Colon cancer during pregnancy is a challenge for diagnostic doctors and therapists because there are still no generally accepted guidelines regarding the diagnosis or treatment of this cancer. In addition, documents about colon cancer during pregnancy are rare.
Colon cancer during pregnancy can be diagnosed with endoscopy, which offers relatively safe radiological or surgical interventions. Endoscopy should be done if you have a strong indication and should be delayed to the second trimester if possible during pregnancy.
Is there a risk to the fetus if you have colon cancer while pregnant?
There is no evidence and reports that maternal colon cancer will follow the baby. So, there is a high possibility of the survival of the fetus in pregnancy. However, if you have malignant colon cancer, this can affect your pregnancy.
There are only 25 out of 32 babies born healthy from pregnancy with complications of large intestine tumors. Therefore, there is no indication of the fetus for therapeutic abortion. Death is usually caused by stillbirth, premature birth, or miscarriage.
How to treat colon cancer while pregnant?
If you are diagnosed with colon cancer while pregnant, you need multidisciplinary treatment involving an obstetrician, perinatologist, colorectal surgeon, and radiation and medical oncologist to ensure that you will be treated as early as possible.You must undergo surgery safely before the 20th week of pregnancy. Surgery is recommended to be delayed in order to reach the age of fetal maturity after the gestational age.
How to give birth is not affected by cancer unless the doctor recommends a caesarean section due to a distal tumor that clogs the birth canal or anterior rectal wall carcinoma. You must undergo a careful placental examination for metastasis.
Chemotherapy is safe for you during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, even if your baby may be at risk of developing defects in the uterus and prematurity. Although there is no evidence to show the side effects of treatment in the third trimester, the possibility of a neurocognitive effect of chemotherapy is completely ignored because the development of your baby's brain has not been fulfilled during pregnancy or even early in life.
Chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) can be recommended if you are in a stage III tumor, but remember to discuss the risks and benefits with a doctor carefully. The most dangerous complications can occur if you get chemotherapy from the 3rd to 12th week of pregnancy. 5-FU in some cases has been associated with spontaneous abortion and normal time birth during the first trimester.
In addition, radiotherapy assistance can be used in controlling rectal cancer. Radiation therapy to the pelvis is not recommended during pregnancy because of the potential harm to the fetus. Radiation exposure to the fetus must be measured by the doctor in each radiation during pregnancy. Pelvic radiation after labor can be considered, but it must be discussed with patients because this can cause infertility.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
