Safe delivery of chemo-radiotherapy for locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer in a pregnant woman.
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Hypopharyngeal cancers during pregnancy are extremely rare. There are no published guidelines outlining the best treatment modalities in this situation. Here, we present the case of a young pregnant lady in her second trimester with locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. She required a tracheostomy and nasogastric tube feeding at diagnosis in view of the advanced nature of the disease compromising airway and nutrition. She was managed with definitive chemo-radiotherapy, resulting in an excellent response and also delivered a healthy child at term. This case highlights the fact that cancers located in the head/neck or upper chest may be amenable to radiotherapy in pregnancy with minimal risk to the fetus. With careful multi-disciplinary management, both oncologic and obstetric outcomes can be optimised.