Primary ovarian choriocarcinoma occurring in a postmenopausal woman: A case report

BACKGROUND

Nongestational ovarian choriocarcinoma (NGOC) is a rare but aggressive neoplasm with limited sensitivity to chemotherapy and a very poor prognosis. Few cases of NGOC have been reported, and there is limited information regarding its clinical features, treatment protocols, or prognosis.

CASE SUMMARY

A postmenopausal woman in her 5^th decade of life visited our clinic because of abnormal vaginal bleeding and an abdominal mass. Although she had been menopausal for more than eight years and her last abortion occurred nine years ago, she had an increased level of serum β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG). Thus, an ovarian neoplasm of trophoblastic origin was suspected, and exploratory laparotomy was performed. Based on the patient’s clinical history and the histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry results obtained postoperatively, we concluded that she most likely had primary NGOC. Cytoreductive surgery was performed in combination with adjuvant chemotherapy comprising bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin. Serum β-hCG levels decreased to normal after two cycles, and there was no evidence of recurrence after four cycles of chemotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Even in postmenopausal women, ovarian choriocarcinoma should be considered in the initial differential diagnosis for an adnexal mass.

Pure choriocarcinoma of the ovary: a case report

Pure ovarian choriocarcinomas are extremely rare and aggressive tumors which are gestational or non-gestational in origin. Due to the rarity of the tumor, there is a lack of information on the clinicopathologic features, diagnosis, and treatment. We report a case of a pure ovarian choriocarcinoma, likely of non-gestational origin, treated by cytoreductive surgery in combination with post-operative chemotherapy. The patient was free of disease after a 12-month follow-up.