Congenital neuroblastoma in a boy born to a woman with bipolar disorder treated with carbamazepine during pregnancy

1. A metastatic neuroblastoma was detected immediately after birth in a boy born to a 26 year old woman with bipolar disorder, who received carbamazepine (400 mg/day) all through her pregnancy. The primary tumor was probably located in the adrenal gland of the right side, and multiple metastatic lesions were detected in the skin. 2. In this report the authors review the literature about the side effects teratogenic and carcinogenic effects of carbamazepine, the epidemiology and evolution of the neuroblastoma, and the current scientific opinion about the pharmacological treatment of the pregnant with mood disorders. 3. A causal relationship between the use of carbamazepine and the neuroblastoma development in the present case can not be established; however, as the carcinogenic and teratogenic effects of the drug have been basically assessed in epileptic women, our aim is to alert the medical community in order to conduct further research in psychiatric patients.