title: Primary lung choriocarcinoma masquerading as a metastatic gestational neoplasm.
abstract: Primary lung choriocarcinoma has rarely been reported. In females, previous pregnancies and other sources of trophoblastic tissue such as a nongestational gonadal choriocarcinoma must be excluded before the diagnosis can be made. Here we present a young female patient initially diagnosed as having a metastatic gestational neoplasm who was unresponsive to standard single and multiagent chemotherapy. A total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oopherectomy failed to reveal the source of production of beta HCG. At the time of her thoracotomy and lobectomy, performed for a lung nodule, she was found to have a primary lung choriocarcinoma. The patient received no further chemotherapy and has remained disease free for more than 3 years. This is the first recorded case of a lung choriocarcinoma that has been successfully treated where the patient has remained free of disease for more than 1 year.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange 92668.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Van Nostrand
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lucci
authors.forename: S Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Di Saia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011247:Pregnancy; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014328:Trophoblastic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery