Fertility-sparing surgery for persistent gestational trophoblastic neoplasia in the myometrium: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Persistently low-level "real" serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) after treatment for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) in patients desirous of preserving fertility is a diagnostic and management challenge. Among the possible explanations is the presence of false positive ("phantom") hCG or of trophoblasts in a myometrial sanctuary.


METHODS
An 18-year-old woman had persistent low-level hCG values in her serum after treatment for nonmetastatic GTN. Her only child had died, and she wanted to preserve her fertility potential. Phantom hCG was excluded. Positron emission tomography (PET) showed increased uptake in an area of the uterus in which magnetic resonance imaging had shown an ill-defined, ovoid lesion. Removal of the lesion with preservation of the uterus followed by 2 courses of multiagent chemotherapy (methotrexate, dactinomycin and cyclophosphamide) resuited in clinical remission.


CONCLUSIONS
PET can prove useful in detecting persistent disease in a myometrial sanctuary in patients with resistant, nonmetastatic GTN. Conservative surgical excision with uterine preservation is possible and can be of value in achieving remission.
Rojas-Espaillat
Luis
L
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140, USA.
Houck
Karen L
KL
Hernandez
Enrique
E
Berkowitz
Ross S
RS
D000293:Adolescent; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D031901:Gestational Trophoblastic Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D009215:Myometrium; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011247:Pregnancy; D011859:Radiography; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin