PRIMARY PULMONARY CHORIOCARCINOMA – CASE REPORT

Abstract

Literature has described only twenty-two cases of primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma. Unlike gestational choriocarcinoma which responds well to chemotherapy and has good prognosis, even in cases when detected later, pulmonary choriocarcinoma leads rapidly to fatal outcome. The reason is unknown. This paper presents a case of thirty-four-old young woman with clinical presentation of cough, expectoration, occasionally with hemoptisis, pleural pain, lack of breath and fever, with laboratory findings of pleural effusion on the left, which was treated as a case of tuberculosis for three months. Gynecological finding was regular. Progressive, rapid deterioration of general condition, degree of dispnea, hemoptisis episode led to respiratory failure before having appied the appropriate therapy. In cases of haemoptisis, one should think about this rare malignant entity and check the level of human chorionic gonadotropin in women.

Keywords

• gestational trophoblastic disease
• haemoptisis