An unusual neck tumor in a young pregnant woman: challenge diagnosis and response to treatment

Oxf Med Case Reports. 2017 Aug 2;2017(8):omx039. doi: 10.1093/omcr/omx039. eCollection 2017 Aug.

Abstract

We report the case of a 19-year-old woman 33 weeks pregnant who presented a painful mass of progressive growth in the neck, having also dysphonia and dyspnea. Physical examination revealed a primary laryngeal tumor. A neuroendocrine small-cell carcinoma was diagnosed after histopathology, immunohistochemistry and genetic studies. Chemo-radiotherapy with a cisplatin-etoposide schedule was administered. Despite obtaining a complete response, the patient relapsed and finally survived 35 months with successive cisplatin-based treatments. Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the larynx is an uncommon entity, differential diagnosis can be problematic and treatment is challenging.

Publication types

  • Case Reports