What type of cancer is choriocarcinoma?
Choriocarcinoma is a fast-growing cancer that occurs in a woman’s uterus (womb). The abnormal cells start in the tissue that would normally become the placenta. This is the organ that develops during pregnancy to feed the fetus. Choriocarcinoma is a type of gestational trophoblastic disease.
What is the survival rate for choriocarcinoma?
Can doctors cure it? Doctors can almost always cure gestational choriocarcinoma with chemotherapy. The survival rates range from about 90 to 100% , depending on a person’s risk factors.
What are the signs and symptoms of choriocarcinoma?
Symptoms of choriocarcinoma which has spread
- lungs – you might have a cough, difficulty breathing and sometimes chest pain.
- vagina – you might have heavy bleeding, and your doctor might be able to feel a lump (nodules) in your vagina.
- abdomen – you might have abdominal pain.
What is a choriocarcinoma?
(KOR-ee-oh-KAR-sih-NOH-muh) A malignant, fast-growing tumor that develops from trophoblastic cells (cells that help an embryo attach to the uterus and help form the placenta). Almost all choriocarcinomas form in the uterus after fertilization of an egg by a sperm, but a small number form in a testis or an ovary.
How long is the treatment for choriocarcinoma?
Treatment for choriocarcinoma usually takes 4-5 months to complete and the cure rate is over 95%. The hCG results and treatment graph of a patient who developed choriocarcinoma 3 months after the delivery of her baby are shown in Fig 8.
Can Stage 4 choriocarcinoma be cured?
Fortunately, most women who are found to have choriocarcinoma can be cured; treatment with a combination of chemotherapy agents such as etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide and vincristine (EMA-CO) is found to be very effective at achieving remission.
How quickly does choriocarcinoma spread?
Choriocarcinoma can develop some months or even years after pregnancy and can be difficult to diagnose, because it is so unexpected. They can grow quickly and might cause symptoms within a short period of time. They can spread to other parts of the body but are very likely to be cured by chemotherapy treatment.
Is choriocarcinoma serious?
It may be required for those with severe infection and uncontrolled bleeding. Choriocarcinoma arising in the testicle is rare, malignant and highly resistant to chemotherapy. The same is true of choriocarcinoma arising in the ovary. Testicular choriocarcinoma has the worst prognosis of all germ-cell cancers.
When does choriocarcinoma occur in a pregnant woman?
Choriocarcinoma is one of the two rarest forms of cancer, but highly treatable. This condition strikes pregnant women, and develops when trophoblastic cells form the placenta to provide nutrition to the fetus. These abnormalities are closely connected to the hydatidiform mole, a mass that forms in the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy.
What are the side effects of choriocarcinoma treatment?
Complications of choriocarcinoma is primarily related to the complications of chemotherapy such as alopecia or hair loss, anorexia, muscle wasting, weight loss, nausea and vomiting and high risk for infection. Some choriocarcinoma may also reoccur after months up to 3 years of treatment.
Can a mole grow into a choriocarcinoma?
These abnormalities are closely connected to the hydatidiform mole, a mass that forms in the uterus at the beginning of a pregnancy. The tissue from the mole can keep growing, even after the mass has been removed, and turn into cancer. Choriocarcinomas can develop after an abortion, ectopic pregnancy, or genital tumor.
Where does choriocarcinoma start in the human body?
Choriocarcinoma In the Lungs as a Metastatic Disease The malignant cells start in the syncytiotrophoblats and cytotrophoblasts that are responsible for the formation of the fetal structures and placenta. During embryonic development, there is no formation of placental villi.