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It is a malignant cancer which is usually found on the placenta. It may also occur in the testis or ovary and is known to spread to the lungs.
It is a member of the malignant area in the spectrum in gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD).
Lyla Erdman
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Where do choriocarcinomas develop?
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.
What is the treatment of choriocarcinomas?
Choriocarcinomas are usually treated by surgical removal of the tumor and chemotherapy. Radiation is occasionally used, particularly for tumors in the brain.
What are choriocarcinomas the result of?
Choriocarcinomas result from genetic damage to a germ cell. Males with Klinefelter syndrome are especially likely to develop extragonadal germ cell tumors.
How dangerous are choriocarcinomas?
Choriocarcinomas are one of the most dangerous germ cell cancers. Choriocarcinomas usually grow quickly and spread widely. Occasionally, this cancer grows so fast that the original tumor outgrows its blood supply and dies, leaving behind only a small scar
What choriocarcinomas are common in males?
A few choriocarcinomas arise in sites outside the reproductive organs. Such "extragonadal" tumors are usually found in young adults and are more common in males.
What is the prognosis for choriocarcinomas?
prognosis for choriocarcinomas in the uterus is very good. Although these tumors have often spread throughout the body, chemotherapy results in a cure or remission in at least 80-90% of cases.
How are choriocarcinomas diagnosed?
Choriocarcinomas are not always biopsied before being treated, because they tend to bleed heavily. Spreading of the cancer is detected with x rays, ultrasound studies, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans
How are choriocarcinomas prevented?
There is no known means of prevention. However, early detection of the symptoms and prompt medical treatment can improve the odds of survival.
When is the prognosis of choriocarcinomas bad?
Generally, the prognosis is worse if the cancer can be found in the liver or brain, if hCG levels are high, or if the original tumor developed outside the gonads.
What are possible complications of molar pregnancy?
If not removed, about 15% of moles can become cancerous. They burrow into the wall of the uterus and cause serious bleeding. Another 5% will develop into fast-growing cancers called choriocarcinomas
Where do choriocarcinomas form?
Most of these cancers form inside the reproductive organs. Some originate in the testes or ovaries, especially in young adults. Others develop in the uterus after a pregnancy or miscarriage--particularly often after a mole
What are the symptoms of choriocarcinomas?
The symptoms of a choriocarcinoma vary, depending on where the tumor originates and where it spreads. In the uterus, the most common symptom is bleeding. Cancers in the ovary often have only subtle signs such as widening of the waistline or pain.
