There is scarce literature on managing superior mediastinal syndrome during pregnancy. We report a case of 26-year-old primigravida who presented with life-threatening superior mediastinal syndrome at 32 weeks of gestation. The diagnosis was significantly delayed and, as a result, she reached the emergency with stridor and impending respiratory failure. She was diagnosed with primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma Lugano Stage II with a bulky mediastinal mass. She was treated with chemoimmunotherapy and underwent a preterm vaginal delivery after a week. She delivered a 1.6 kg healthy child with no malformations. Later, she completed three cycles of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and prednisolone and five cycles of dose-adjusted etoposide, prednisolone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, rituximab, followed by radiotherapy. She continues to be in remission at 18 months of follow-up. Delaying diagnostic imaging that involves ionizing radiation exposure and chemotherapy to avoid teratogenic and obstetric complications during pregnancy can adversely affect the prognosis in certain patients with high-grade malignancies. On the contrary, prompt multidisciplinary management can lead to a gratifying outcome.
CITATION STYLE
Arora, A., Prakash, G., Bagga, R., Srinivasan, R., & Jain, A. (2021, April 1). Managing Life-Threatening Malignant Superior Mediastinal Syndrome in Pregnancy: When Benefits of Radiation and Chemotherapy Outweigh the Risks - A Case Report and Review of Literature. Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0041-1732819
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