Primary choriocarcinoma of the renal pelvis presenting as intracerebral hemorrhage: a case report and review of the literature

Primary Pancreatic Choriocarcinoma With Hepatic Metastases on 18 F-FDG PET/CT

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic choriocarcinoma is a rare disease, and concurrent hepatic metastases have not previously been reported. We report a case of a 46-year-old woman with significantly elevated human chorionic gonadotropin β levels, and 18 F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated FDG-avid lesions in the pancreatic head, liver, and lymph nodes. The initial diagnosis of pancreatic choriocarcinoma with metastases was made and further confirmed by PET/CT-guided biopsy. 125 I seeds were then implanted to treat the pancreatic choriocarcinoma lesions, which effectively reduced the tumor size. New hepatic metastases have been observed after 5 months, and this case had an overall survival of 10 months.

Metastatic choriocarcinoma of the kidney in the absence of existing primary uterine tumor: A rare presentation

Gestational choriocarcinomas are malignant neoplasms generally arising in the uterus in women of childbearing age. These are aggressive tumors with a high incidence of metastasis to vascular organs such as the lung, liver, and brain. Renal metastasis is extremely rare with low incidence rate and very few cases have been reported in literature. Hereby, we report a rare case of metastatic choriocarcinoma to the kidney in a 29-year-old female 10 years after resection of a hydatidiform mole. The histopathological diagnosis was made on a nephrectomy specimen. Pelvic and abdominal scan did not show any abnormal radiological findings. She was started on first-line chemotherapy and showed a complete response. In conclusion, gestational or primary nongestational choriocarcinomas should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in young females of reproductive age group presenting with flank abdominal pain, unexplained hematuria, and atypical renal tumor histology.

Incidental primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma diagnosed by endobronchial ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration in a patient presenting with transient ischemic attack and stroke

We describe a case of a 41-year old male patient with no significant prior medical history who presents with symptoms of Transient Ischemic Attack and stroke. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the brain identified areas of ischemia in the left side, and angiography showed occlusion of the left Medial Cerebral Artery (MCA). Cardiac Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) for stroke evaluation incidentally noted a mediastinal abnormality leading to cancer work-up. Computer Tomography (CT) and ¹⁸ F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT scan of the chest incidentally revealed an avid 6 cm paraesophagial/subcarinal mass. Further diagnostic work-up with endoscopic and endobronchial ultra sound (EBUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the mass yielded a cytology diagnosis of Germ Cell Tumor (GCT), with choriocarcinoma component. Additionally, high plasma levels of β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-HCG) were detected with no evidence of testicular tumor. This exceedingly rare presentation for a primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma underscores the importance of complete investigation of young patients presenting with neurological symptoms compatible with ischemic events. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2017;45:738-743. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Choriocarcinoma of unknown origin with multiple organ metastasis and cerebral hemorrhage: A case report and literature review

A 26-year-old man was admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University (Beijing, China) with a 4-day history of headache, moderate fever and numbness in the right upper limb. Prior to this, the patient had been diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage by computed tomography (CT) scan upon visiting a local hospital. Chest X-ray revealed multiple lesions in the lungs. Following referral, no abnormalities were found elsewhere, including in the testes, during a physical examination. Additional examination of other tumor biomarkers was unremarkable, and the initial suspicion of parasitic infection was ruled out. Tests revealed extremely high levels of β-human chorionic gonadotropin (>200,000 mIU/ml). In addition, CT scans showed multiple metastases in the head, lungs, liver and kidneys. An ultrasound-guided Tru-Cut biopsy of the liver was performed in order to form a definitive diagnosis. Although the patient was treated with mannitol to reduce intracranial pressure, and with cefoperazone sodium and sulbactam sodium to fight infection, the patient succumbed to a cerebral hernia on the fourth day of hospitalization. Following this, the ultrasound-guided Tru-Cut liver biopsy result was received, which suggested a diagnosis of choriocarcinoma.

Primary pancreatic choriocarcinoma revealed on FDG PET/CT

Choriocarcinoma is a cancer that usually occurs in the uterus during pregnancy. Extragonadal choriocarcinoma, although very rare, can occur. The diagnostic dilatation and curettage of the uterus in a 28-year-old woman who had vaginal bleeding and elevated human chorionic gonadotrophin level failed to identify any abnormality. FDG PET/CT revealed abnormal activity in the head of the pancreas. Pathological examination after partial pancreatectomy demonstrated primary choriocarcinoma in the pancreas.