title: Primary choriocarcinoma in mediastinum with multiple lung metastases in a male patient: A case report and a review of the literature.
abstract: Primary choriocarcinoma is a rare malignant tumor, particularly in men. The tumor, mostly found in the gastrointestinal system and mediastinum, often metastasizes early with poor therapeutic effects and prognosis. Herein, we present a male patient with primary mediastinum choriocarcinoma and widespread lung metastases. The disease progressed rapidly with little therapeutic effect from chemotherapy. The patient died of this disease 75 days after initial symptom presentations. Literature review found only 41 cases of primary choriocarcinoma reported in the mediastinum. This case highlights the importance of keeping primary choriocarcinoma in the differentials for mediastinum tumors in young men. Sex hormone testing is helpful to confirm diagnosis. Early biopsy should be performed to confirm pathologic diagnose, and early surgery and chemotherapy should be considered to improve the cure rate of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Shandong Jiao Tong Hospital Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory, Binzhou People's Hospital Binzhou, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Xin-An
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Dao-Wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Shu-Juan
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jiang
keywords: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasm; lung metastases; primary mediastinal choriocarcinoma