Choriocarcinoma Treatment & Symptom
Choriocarcinomas are cancers that develop from germ cells, cells that ordinarily turn into sperm or eggs. Choriocarcinomas resemble the cells that surround an embryo in the uterus . Most of these cancers form inside the reproductive organs. Choriocarcinoma is one of the two types of gestational trophoblastic tumor, the other being hydatidiform mole. Choriocarcinoma may follow any type of pregnancy. It is especially likely to occur with a hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy). About 2 to 3% of hydatidiform moles are complicated by the development of choriocarcinoma. The prognosis for women with metastatic choriocarcinoma was once grim. It has markedly improved with the advent of multidrug chemotherapy . Patients with high-risk metastatic disease usually need aggressive multidrug chemotherapy. Women with low-risk metastatic disease are sometimes treated with a single drug. Overall, the cure rate for high-risk patients is 60 to 80%.
Causes of Choriocarcinoma
Common Causes of Choriocarcinoma :
- Genetic, more common in Asians than Blacks, and least common in Caucasians.
- Hydatidiform mole.
- History of other tumors of the female reproductive tract.
- Pregnancy.
- Ectopic pregnancy.
- Older women, particularly those older than 40 years.
Symptoms of Choriocarcinoma
Some common Symptoms of Choriocarcinoma :
- Chest pain.
- Absent fetal heart tones.
- Shortness of breath.
- Vaginal bleeding.
- Lower abdominal pain.
- Hemoptysis (coughing up blood).
- Nausea and/or vomiting.
- Vaginal spotting, bleeding.
Treatment of Choriocarcinoma
- Radiation therapy.
- Serial blood tests to determine HCG hormone levels.
- Chemotherapy.
- Hysterectomy.
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