A case of pulmonary carcinoid in pregnancy and review of carcinoid tumours in pregnancy

Carcinoid tumours are rare slow growing tumours which arise from primitive neuroendocrine cells. The effect of the pregnant state on carcinoid tumours and vice versa remains unclear, as does the optimal management of carcinoid tumours during the pregnancy including labour. We report the rare case of a 36 year old primigravida woman with large bilateral pulmonary carcinoid tumours. The patient's disease was minimally symptomatic with no clinical suspicion of carcinoid syndrome. Under close observation, the pregnancy progressed well and the patient proceeded to a spontaneous vaginal delivery of a healthy child. We conduct the the first literature review in 30 years of all reported cases in this area and make suggestions as to assessment and monitoring of cases of carcinoid during pregnancy.