Gestational trophoblastic disease
Definition
Gestational trophoblastic disease is a quick growing form of cancer that occurs in a woman's uterus after a pregnancy, miscarriage, or abortion. It is usually metastatic, which means it spreads to other places in the body.
Gestational trophoblastic disease is also called a choriocarcinoma.
Alternative Names
Chorioblastoma; Choriocarcinoma; Trophoblastic tumor; Chorioepithelioma; Invasive/malignant mole; Gestational trophoblastic neoplasiaCauses
Choriocarcinoma remains an uncommon, yet almost always curable, cancer that can be associated with pregnancy.
The cancer forms in the tissues that develop after a baby is conceived. A choriocarcinoma looks like the cells that normally surround a developing baby (embryo).
In approximately 50% of cases of choriocarcinoma, the woman had a hydatidiform mole (molar pregnancy).
Nearly one-fourth of choriocarcinomas occur after pregnancy has resulted in the delivery of a normal child. The remainder of cases occurs after any type of abortion, ectopic pregnancy, or genital tumor.
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