title: Human chorionic gonadotropin and free subunits' serum levels in patients with partial and complete hydatidiform moles.
abstract: Serum levels of hCG and its free subunits were measured in patients with partial and complete hydatidiform moles and in women with normal 10-week pregnancies. whereas complete moles had higher levels of percent-free beta-hCG than partial moles (2.4 versus 1.0; P less than or equal to .005), partial moles had higher levels of percent-free alpha-hCG than complete moles (0.85 versus 0.17; P less than or equal to .005). Normal 10-week pregnancies had lower levels of both percent-free beta-hCG and percent-free alpha-hCG than partial moles (0.40 versus 1.0, P less than or equal to .005 and 0.27 versus 0.85, P less than or equal to .005, respectively). Percent-free beta-hCG and beta-hCG levels did not distinguish which patients with complete mole were more likely to develop persistent post-molar tumor. The trophoblastic cells in complete and partial moles differ significantly in the manner in which they secrete the free subunits of hCG.
authors: New England Trophoblastic Disease Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Berkowitz
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ozturk
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Goldstein
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Bernstein
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Hill
authors: J R
authors: JR
authors: Wands
mesh_terms: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood*; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D005260:Female; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D006828:Hydatidiform Mole / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit; D010446:Peptide Fragments