title: Testicular choriocarcinoma: a rare variant that requires a unique treatment approach.
abstract: Testicular germ cell tumors represent the most common malignancy among young men. While 5-year overall survival and cure for this population is greater than 95%, choriocarcinoma is an aggressive subtype of this disease with far worse prognosis--5-year survival for choriocarcinoma is less than 80%. In order to be able to treat these patients appropriately, a provider must recognize characteristic features of choriocarcinoma including elevated human chorionic gonadotropin in a young man with testicular mass; the astute clinician should also know the signs and symptoms of choriocarcinoma syndrome, characterized by bleeding from metastatic sites, which represents a medical emergency and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Treatment should be directed towards a goal of tumor marker normalization, and patients with refractory disease should be considered for advanced therapies and clinical trials. Choriocarcinoma is a unique and aggressive germ cell malignancy, and these patients require early aggressive treatment to improve their chance of survival.
authors: Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1155 Pressler St., Unit 1374, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors: Matthew James
authors: MJ
authors: Reilley
authors: Lance C
authors: LC
authors: Pagliaro
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin
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