Neurological deficit due to breast cancer metastasis during pregnancy: a case report

Abstract

The hypervascularization of the pregnant breast and the role of hormones during pregnancy and lactation have been incriminated for the delays in diagnosis of breast cancer. A 38-year-old multiparous patient (H.K.), G3P1, was admitted to our clinic to evaluate her inability to walk, paresthesia in her legs, and fecal and urine incontinence. According to obstetric ultrasonography (USG), she was at 33-34 weeks of gestation. Because of fetal distress, we performed cesarean section, and she delivered a 1850 g male baby with meconium. Postoperatively, she had prerenal failure and hypercalcemia. Following our investigations, we determined metastatic lesions in the cranium, liver, and sacroiliac and vertebral bones. Unfortunately, when we diagnosed her breast cancer, it was inoperable. We wanted to present our case to discuss how diagnosis can be challenging in a pregnant woman and to emphasize the dramatic and severe prognosis of breast cancer during pregnancy because of the delay in diagnosis.