Case of maternal and infantile choriocarcinoma following normal pregnancy

Choriocarcinoma is a rare malignant tumor of the syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast that may occur after any pregnancy. Approximately one half of choriocarcinomas occur following a hydatidaform mole and the remainder after other pregnancies, including normal ones (Loukovaara et al., 2005). The incidence after a normal delivery is estimated to be 1 in 50,000 live births (Tidy et al., 1995). Although the malignancy originates in the placenta, there is often widespread metastasis, most often to the lungs, vagina, pelvis, brain, and liver (Berkowitz and Goldstein, 1981).

While maternal choriocarcinoma is quite uncommon, simultaneous malignancy in both mother and infant occurs with far less frequency. Infantile choriocarcinoma is thought to be of the same origins as of maternal disease, and is prone to metastasis as well, usually to the liver. Affected newborns often present with anemia, hepatomegaly, and precocious puberty