Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumour in pregnancy

Lih Vei ONN ¹, Muhamad Syafiq ABDULLAH ¹, Norazmah ABDULLAH ², Pemasari Upali TELISINGHE ³, Vui Heng CHONG ¹

¹ Department of Medicine, ² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and ³ Department of Pathology, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam

ABSTRACT      

Cancer is rare during pregnancy. Often the diagnosis is delayed due to the non-specific presentations and overlapping of symptoms that are common during pregnancy. Unawareness and hesitation to perform invasive investigations also contribute to the delay. We report the case of a 31-year-old pregnant lady (G₃P₂ 33+ weeks, previous molar pregnancy) who presented with upper gastro-intestinal bleed and obstructive jaundice on the background of chronic gastrointestinal symptoms since early pregnancy and found to have a non-functional neuroendocrine tumour. She underwent biliary stenting and was treated with palliative chemotherapy. Unfortunately, her condition progressed rapidly and repeat imaging showed progressive disease. This case highlights the importance to consider evaluation in pregnant patients whose symptoms do not resolve despite treatment.

Keywords: Pancreatic neoplasms, neuroendocrine tumour, pregnancy, gestation

Correspondence author: Vui Heng CHONG, Department of Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, BA 1710, Brunei Darussalam. Tel: +673 2242424 Ext 5233, E mail: chongvuih@yahoo.co.uk

Brunei Int Med J. 2016; 12 (1): 42-46