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Choriocarcinoma is a malignant tumor that usually affects the placenta of pregnant women but can also affect postmenopausal women or men. It is aggressive and can spread to other organs but can be treated with chemotherapy and surgery. It often begins as a benign hydatidiform mole. Symptoms include heavy vaginal bleeding, swelling, and abdominal pain. Diagnosis involves examining the uterus, conducting imaging tests, and analyzing blood samples. Treatment involves chemotherapy and surgery if necessary. With prompt treatment and checkups, most people recover fully.
Choriocarcinoma is a type of malignant tumor that arises in the reproductive tract. It is found almost exclusively in the placenta of pregnant women, although in rare cases choriocarcinoma can affect the uterus of a postmenopausal woman or the testicles of a man. Choriocarcinomas are considered very aggressive, and the cancer can spread rapidly to the lungs, brain, liver, and other organs. In most cases, the cancer can be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy treatments. Surgery to remove part or all of the uterus may be needed if a tumor causes extensive tissue damage.
Most choriocarcinomas begin as large precancerous masses called hydatidiform nevi, which sometimes grow in uterine tissue in early pregnancies. A mole is essentially an excess of placental tissue, and while a mole can impede fetal development, it is usually benign and poses no real threat to a woman’s health. A choriocarcinoma forms when a hydatidiform mole becomes cancerous and the cells begin to proliferate and spread across the placenta. For reasons not well understood by doctors, some women develop cancer after miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies. Testicular choriocarcinomas are related to undescended testicles and genetic factors that predispose some men to cancer.
Signs that a woman may have a hydatidiform nevus or choriocarcinoma include heavy vaginal bleeding and localized swelling. If the cancer has already begun to spread, a woman may experience abdominal pain and feelings of fatigue and weakness. Cancer that reaches the liver and kidneys can cause jaundice, and lung complications can cause breathing problems and nausea. A woman who experiences abnormal symptoms during or after pregnancy should visit an obstetrician to receive a thorough evaluation.
A doctor can usually diagnose choriocarcinoma by examining the uterus and looking for cysts, lesions, and moles. He or she may collect a small tissue sample for laboratory analysis and conduct imaging tests to look for cancer elsewhere in the body. The obstetrician also collects blood samples to check for autoimmune diseases, viruses, or other abnormalities that could be contributing to the symptoms.
After making a diagnosis, an obstetrician usually arranges chemotherapy sessions. Most choriocarcinoma tumors can be ablated with chemotherapy, and women generally have a very good prognosis after a few months of treatment. If a tumor does not respond to chemotherapy and continues to grow, the patient may need to undergo a surgical procedure called a partial or total hysterectomy. A surgeon can remove the affected section of uterine tissue to prevent the cancer from spreading. With prompt treatment and frequent checkups, most people are able to recover fully from choriocarcinoma.
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