Journal article
Intracardiac resection of a metastatic choriocarcinoma.
- Bohlmann MK Clinic for Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital Berne, Switzerland. michael.bohlmann@med.uni-heidelberg.de
- Eckstein FS
- Allemann Y
- Stauffer E
- Carrel TP
- 2001-12-26
Published in:
- Gynecologic oncology. - 2002
Adult
Choriocarcinoma
Female
Heart Atria
Heart Neoplasms
Humans
Postpartum Period
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic
Uterine Neoplasms
English
BACKGROUND
Postpartal choriocarcinoma is a rare complication of pregnancy, which usually responds well to chemotherapy, even in advanced stages. Metastatic heart involvement typically characterizes a widely advanced disease, requiring palliative treatment.
CASE
A 41-year-old woman with disseminated choriocarcinoma following a full-term pregnancy presented with clinical signs of severe dyspnea. Pulmonary hypertension and a floating left atrial tumor were diagnosed upon echocardiography. Tumor resection was performed by intracardiac surgery. Histological examination revealed a metastatic thrombus of a choriocarcinoma that had obstructed the right inferior pulmonary vein at the entrance to the left atrium. The patient was treated with high-dose chemotherapy. After a 1-year follow-up the patient continues to be in full remission.
CONCLUSION
Tumor reductive surgery followed by high-dose chemotherapy might be a useful approach in patients with metastatic choriocarcinoma even in cases of rare tumor sites.
Postpartal choriocarcinoma is a rare complication of pregnancy, which usually responds well to chemotherapy, even in advanced stages. Metastatic heart involvement typically characterizes a widely advanced disease, requiring palliative treatment.
CASE
A 41-year-old woman with disseminated choriocarcinoma following a full-term pregnancy presented with clinical signs of severe dyspnea. Pulmonary hypertension and a floating left atrial tumor were diagnosed upon echocardiography. Tumor resection was performed by intracardiac surgery. Histological examination revealed a metastatic thrombus of a choriocarcinoma that had obstructed the right inferior pulmonary vein at the entrance to the left atrium. The patient was treated with high-dose chemotherapy. After a 1-year follow-up the patient continues to be in full remission.
CONCLUSION
Tumor reductive surgery followed by high-dose chemotherapy might be a useful approach in patients with metastatic choriocarcinoma even in cases of rare tumor sites.
- Language
-
- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
-
- DOI 10.1006/gyno.2001.6475
- PMID 11748994
- Persistent URL
- https://sonar.ch/global/documents/882
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