The course of CPAM
Chinese doctors have applied a new method that shrinks a potentially fatal tumor in the chest of an unborn baby without making an incision. A genetic lung malformation called CPAM, seen in roughly one in every 25 thousand to 35 thousand pregnancies, is mostly harmless, but in some cases it can press on the heart and lungs, leading to the death of the fetus. Current options include steroid drugs, a drainage tube that can trigger premature birth, and open surgery (fetal lobectomy), which only about 50 percent of babies survive.
The Obstetrics figures
In the case published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the tumor, which had reached about 5 centimeters by the 22nd week of pregnancy in the baby of the 40-year-old mother, was compressing the heart and lungs; fluid had also accumulated to dangerous levels in the baby’s abdomen. Using a needle inserted through the mother’s abdomen, the doctors delivered microwave energy to the tumor, heating and destroying the abnormal tissue.
Remarks on CPAM
Within three days, the tumor shrank significantly and the fluid disappeared completely. The baby was born by cesarean section at 37 weeks, weighing about 2.9 kilograms.
While the doctors described this as the first reported use of microwave ablation in fetal CPAM and a “new milestone,” they emphasized that safety and efficacy cannot be proven with a single case.