High Secretion of Beta-HCG by Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung in a Postmenopausal Female

With the development of research in tumor, some of them have been found to secrete beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) ectopically and lung cancer is one of them. Generally, lung cancer secreting β-HCG is mostly undifferentiated small cell carcinoma. Here, we report a rare case of squamous cell lung cancer secreting high level of β-HCG in a postmenopausal female. The tumor secreted β-HCG, measuring 16,500 mIU/ml. The patient presented with hemoptysis and postmenopausal bleeding. Pathological examination of CT-guided biopsy and investigations could not tell whether it was primary squamous cell lung cancer or choriocarcinoma with lung metastasis, to be responsible for the high level of β-HCG. The chemotherapy in the early stage seemed to be effective, but not good in the late stage. Then she underwent a right pulmonary middle lobectomy and the pathological examination finally confirmed the diagnosis of poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The auxiliary chemotherapy made a decreased β-HCG. Only a few reports of squamous cell lung cancer secreting that high level of β-HCG can be found in the literature.