The fight for life for both mother and child
Being pregnant for the first time was already full of worries, but for Ms. P, everything became even more difficult when at the 26th week of pregnancy, the pregnant woman discovered a tumor measuring about 5cm in size in her cervix. This was a large tumor but had not invaded the cervix. Facing this terrible disease, she fought not only for herself but also for her child, with the close support of the doctors.
Recalling the first days of discovering the disease, Ms. P shared: "When I was 22 weeks pregnant, I started to see some bleeding. At first I thought it was normal, but by week 25, the condition became worse, I went to the doctor and discovered a tumor. The biopsy results confirmed that I had cervical cancer."
Upon receiving the bad news, Ms. P was confused and scared: "I was very shocked and worried about my child. Being pregnant for the first time was already stressful, not to mention being diagnosed with a serious illness. But when I went to the Central Maternity Hospital, the doctors encouraged me and gave me treatment instructions, helping me to continue fighting."
Careful treatment regimen
Dr. Nguyen Van Thang - Head of the Department of Gynecological Oncology (Central Obstetrics Hospital), who directly treated Ms. P - said: "The patient was diagnosed with stage IB3 cervical cancer with a tumor of about 5cm. If not intervened promptly, the disease will progress rapidly, threatening her life. For patients who are not pregnant, surgical removal is the optimal option. However, to preserve the fetus, we decided to control the tumor with chemotherapy, prolonging the pregnancy to the maximum extent."
After consulting with leading experts, a treatment regimen was proposed: 3 cycles of chemotherapy, closely monitoring fetal development.
"Every time I had chemotherapy, I was very tired, but the doctor always encouraged me and gave me instructions on a suitable diet so that my child could develop well and my mother could maintain stable health. I tried every day so that we could overcome it together," Ms. P. emotionally shared.
Special surgery and miracle birth
When the fetus reached 37 weeks, the medical team decided to perform a cesarean section and treat the cervical cancer. This was a special surgery that required careful preparation because the pregnant woman had cancer and a high risk of blood loss.
Doctor Thang said: "Due to the pregnant woman's pregnancy, her physiological and anatomical condition changes, her blood vessels proliferate strongly, so the risk of blood loss is very high. We have prepared carefully to control this condition. Fortunately, the surgery went smoothly, mother and child were both safe, and the mother did not need additional blood transfusion."
On the morning of February 4, 2025, Ms. P gave birth to a healthy baby boy weighing 3.2 kg. Immediately after the baby was born, the doctors continued to remove the entire uterus and pelvic lymph nodes to completely remove the cancer cells. Test results showed that the tumor had not metastasized, the patient was assessed as completely cured, no need for further chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer. Each year, Vietnam records about 4,000 new cases and more than 2,000 deaths. However, this disease can be prevented by HPV vaccination and regular screening.
"Pregnant women need to have full prenatal checkups and pay attention to unusual signs such as bleeding and abdominal pain to detect diseases promptly. Thanks to modern medicine, many cases of cancer during pregnancy can still be successfully treated without affecting the baby," Dr. Thang emphasized.
