Korean J Gynecol Oncol Colposc.  2002 Jun;13(2):159-165.

A Case of Cerebral Metastatic Choriocarcinoma Successfully Treated with a Vigorous Multimodality Approach

Abstract

Choriocarcinoma is a gynecologic malignancy of a child-bearing age which is widely known for its highly chemo-sensitive nature. Early detection and proper management according to the risk scoring system have resulted in an excellent outcome that now exceeds 90%. Because of the outstanding efficacy of chemotherapy alone in treating choriocarcinoma, adjuvant radiotherapy and surgery have been discouraged unless in cases of intractable hemorrhage or drug-resistant ;tumor. However, as high as 25% of high-risk patients show incomplete response or relapse following remision, and those with disseminated disease with lung or brain metastases have disappointing outcome when treated by chemotherapy alone. In light of this, multimodality therapy that includes early aggressive surgical extirpation, irradiation, and combination chemotherapy to improve therapeutic success should be highly considered and emphasized in high-risk patients. We report a 27-year-old woman who initially complained of headache and subsequently underwent craniotomy due to intracerebral hemorrhage. She was diagnosed of cerebral metastasis of choriocarcinoma. She was aggressively treated by multimodality therapy including combination chemotherapy, cranial irradiation, and craniotomy, and successfully gained complete remission.

Keyword

Choriocarcinoma; cerebral metastases; multimodality therapy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Brain
Cerebral Hemorrhage
Choriocarcinoma*
Cranial Irradiation
Craniotomy
Drug Therapy
Drug Therapy, Combination
Female
Headache
Hemorrhage
Humans
Lung
Neoplasm Metastasis
Pregnancy
Radiotherapy, Adjuvant
Recurrence
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