A rare case of pulmonary artery embolism with choriocarcinoma: A case report and literature review

Wang,Pengcheng; Ren,Dunqiang; Guo,Caihong; Ding,Xiaoqian; Cao,Yiwei; Zhao,Peige; Wang,Qiang; Xu,Wenjuan

doi:10.3892/ol.2023.14077

A rare case of pulmonary artery embolism with choriocarcinoma: A case report and literature review

Authors:
- Pengcheng Wang
- Dunqiang Ren
- Caihong Guo
- Xiaoqian Ding
- Yiwei Cao
- Peige Zhao
- Qiang Wang
- Wenjuan Xu
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Affiliations: Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong 266000, P.R. China
Published online on: September 28, 2023 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2023.14077
Article Number: 490
Copyright: © Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by malignant tumor is not uncommon, but pulmonary artery with choriocarcinoma is rare and difficult to timely diagnose and effectively treat. To the best of our knowledge, there are only 15 cases reported at present in the literature that present variable clinical characteristics and prognosis. In the current study reports a 21‑year‑old female with a history of chest pain and slight fever for 4 months who was treated as a case of pneumonia. Owing to the recurrence of the symptoms, a contrast‑enhanced chest computer tomography scan was performed on the patient, which revealed complete occlusion of the right pulmonary artery. The patient was diagnosed to have pulmonary embolism (PE). However, no abnormalities were observed in D‑dimer value, tumor antigen testing or ultrasonography. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) was performed, which revealed the abnormal hypermetabolic lesion of the right pulmonary artery. Following the laboratory report of a significantly elevated human chorionic gonadotropin β‑subunit level combined with characteristic appearance of PET‑CT, the diagnosis of primary pulmonary artery with choriocarcinoma was established based on guidelines of the European Society for Medical Oncology and the criteria formulated by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The patient underwent chemotherapy and responded well to the treatment. Although rare, choriocarcinoma should be considered for any fertile women who presents with a massive PE. These findings emphasize the importance of the early diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

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