Pregnancy complicated by carcinoma of the colon above the rectum

Although rare during pregnancy, colorectal carcinoma is one of the leading three types of cancer in women. In the medical literature, there are only 28 reports of carcinoma of the colon above the rectum concurrent with pregnancy. During the last 8 years in our community, four pregnant women have received care by us for this usually lethal disease. These cases are presented and the pertinent considerations of this pregnancy complication based on the entire collected experience are reviewed. The possibility of this disease must be considered in the obstetric as well as the gynecologic patient.