Ovary: Choriocarcinoma

Note Choriocarcinoma of the ovary is a highly malignant ovarian tumor which is characterized pathologically by the presence of trophoblastic malignant cells, and biochemically by the production of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in the absence of an ongoing pregnancy. Choriocarcinoma tends to be invasive and to metastasize early and widely through both the venous and lymphatic systems. This disease is classified two types in origin, gestational choriocarcinoma and nongestational germ cell tumor. Nongestational pure choriocarcinoma is so rare that the prognosis, chemo-sensitivity, and genetics analysis of nongestational type have not been decided compared with that of gestational type. It is necessary, but difficult to distinguish nongestational choriocarcinoma from gestational choriocarcinoma except by DNA analysis.