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Case Report
Laparoscopic-assisted uterine evacuation of 14-week pregnancy complicated by obstructing cervical malignancy
1 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Complex Family Planning, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
2 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
3 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
4 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Address correspondence to:
Monica L Kao
MD, MPH, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, 300 Halket St, Suite 2333, Pittsburgh, PA 15222,
United States
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Article ID: 100235Z08MK2026
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How to cite this article
Kao ML, Zeccola AM, Emery SP, Guido R, Uhm S, Chen BA. Laparoscopic-assisted uterine evacuation of 14-week pregnancy complicated by obstructing cervical malignancy. J Case Rep Images Obstet Gynecol 2026;12(2):5–9.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Treatment of cervical cancer in pregnant patients presents uniquely complex challenges. Treatment considerations include—but are not limited to—disease stage, histological subtype, prognostic implications of delaying treatment, gestational age, other obstetric comorbid conditions, and a patient’s personal priorities and values around continuation versus termination of pregnancy.
Case Report: We present a unique case of laparoscopic-assisted pregnancy termination at 14 weeks for a patient with newly diagnosed stage IIIC1 cervical cancer to expedite cancer treatment. Her friable, obstructing cervical mass precluded the usual approach of cervical dilation and subsequent uterine evacuation or medical termination of pregnancy. This case report describes multidisciplinary, collaborative efforts to integrate each of these factors into a cohesive treatment plan for a patient with locally advanced cervical cancer diagnosed in the second trimester. A minimally invasive approach to uterine evacuation allowed for quicker initiation of cancer treatment while reducing surgical risk and facilitating a shorter recovery period.
Conclusion: We present a complex case of a patient with a new obstructing cervical cancer in the second trimester. Multidisciplinary team management and creative problem solving allowed us to perform a laparoscopic, ultrasound-guided uterine evacuation to terminate the pregnancy allowing for expedited cancer treatment.
Keywords: Abortion, Cervical cancer, Laparoscopic, Minimally invasive approach, Uterine evacuation
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
Paniti Sukumvanich, MD
Parul N Barry, MD
Francesca L Facco, MD
Jamie Lesnock, MD
Kathryn Thomas, MD
Monica L Kao - Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Alison M Zeccola - Acquisition of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Stephen P Emery - Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Richard Guido - Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Suji Uhm - Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Beatrice A Chen - Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Monica L Kao et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
