Case ReportSuccessful Treatment of Nongestational Choriocarcinoma in a 15-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report
Introduction
Choriocarcinoma is a highly malignant ovarian tumor that is characterized by the presence of trophoblastic malignant cells and markedly elevated levels of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the absence of an ongoing pregnancy.1 Choriocarcinomas of the ovary are classified as either gestational or nongestational. Many cases are related to pregnancy, and nongestational choriocarcinoma usually occurs in childhood and adolescence. Nongestational choriocarcinomas can be diagnosed definitively in patients who are sexually immature or have not attained coitarche. Nongestational choriocarcinoma accounts for approximately 0.6% of all ovarian tumors and its prognosis is worse than that of gestational choriocarcinomas.1 It usually arises from germ cells and behaves like germ cell tumors. It is often difficult to make a diagnosis of nongestational choriocarcinomas in childhood and adolescence. In this report, we present a case of nongestational choriocarcinoma in a 15-year-old girl.
Section snippets
Case
A 15-year-old girl visited our tertiary medical center in 2014 with symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding and a suspected pelvic mass. She denied any sexual experience and had an intact hymen. Ultrasonography showed a solid mass (8.5 × 6.3 cm) in the right ovary with a small amount of fluid in the Pouch of Douglas. The size of the uterus was normal, and the endometrium was 1.1 cm thick. Serum β-hCG level (76,600 mIU/mL) was markedly elevated. Computed tomography revealed a heterogeneous solid
Summary and Conclusion
Nongestational choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare ovarian germ cell tumor. Common symptoms include lower abdominal pain, atypical genital bleeding, amenorrhea, nausea, and vomiting. The serum β-hCG level might be the most sensitive parameter for diagnosing the nongestational choriocarcinoma and monitoring the response to treatment. The initial treatment approach for a suspected case of ovarian germ cell tumor is surgery, which serves as a means of establishing the diagnosis and initiating
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Cited by (0)
The authors indicate no conflicts of interest.