Coexistent gastric primary choriocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Abstract

Choriocarcinomas are commonly gestational and intrauterine or gonadal in origin. Nongestational and extragonadal disease, especially in the stomach is extremely rare with a poorer prognosis and early metastasis. We herein describe a case of primary gastric choriocarcinoma with liver metastasis in a 69-year-old male. The patient presented with abdominal pain and irregular bowel habits of one month duration. Both endoscopic and radiographic imaging revealed an ulcerated and necrotic circumferential tumor in the pyloric antrum of the stomach. The histopathologic findings of the resected tumor were that of an extensively necrotic and hemorrhagic neoplasm with combined choriocarcinomatous and adenocarcinomatous element. A strongly positive immunohistochemical staining for β- subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) in the choriocarcinomatous component and a proper correlation with elevated serum β-HCG levels confirmed the diagnosis.

Keywords

• Adenocarcinoma
• choriocarcinoma
• gastric tumor
• β-human chorionic gonadotropin
• liver metastasis