Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Sep 16, 2022; 10(26): 9354-9360
Published online Sep 16, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i26.9354
Special epithelioid trophoblastic tumor: A case report
Ya-Nan Wang, Yan Dong, Lin Wang, Ya-Hui Chen, Hai-Yang Hu, Jing Guo, Lin Sun
Ya-Nan Wang, Yan Dong, Lin Wang, Ya-Hui Chen, Departments of Clinical, Jining Medical University, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Hai-Yang Hu, Lin Sun, Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Jing Guo, Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Wang YN was the patient’s gynecologist who reviewed the literature and contributed to the manuscript drafting; Guo J analyzed and interpreted the imaging findings and pathological images; Dong Y, Wang L, Chen YH were responsible for the revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; All authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Lin Sun, MD, Chief Doctor, Teacher, Department of Gynecology, Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University, No. 89 Guhuai Road, Jining 272000, Shandong Province, China. yanan2020217@163.com
Received: April 1, 2022
Peer-review started: April 1, 2022
First decision: June 16, 2022
Revised: June 29, 2022
Accepted: August 5, 2022
Article in press: August 5, 2022
Published online: September 16, 2022
Processing time: 153 Days and 11.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is a special type of gestational trophoblastic tumor. However, its pathogenesis has been incompletely elucidated. ETT rarely occurs in the ovaries and fallopian tubes, unlike placental site trophoblastic tumor, requiring a histopathological biopsy and immunohistochemistry for further diagnosis.

CASE SUMMARY

A 29-year-old woman with irregular vaginal bleeding and elevated serum chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) levels presented similar symptoms to ectopic pregnancy. Transvaginal ultrasound revealed abnormal echoes of the left adnexa. Postoperatively, the pathology of the left ovary and fallopian tube was reported as ETT. The patient was followed up with regular hCG measurements and ultrasounds. The blood hCG values showed an upward trend 3 mo after the operation and then chemotherapy was prescribed. The current health status is normal.

CONCLUSION

For women of childbearing age with elevated serum β-hCG levels, practitioners should consider ETT and be alert to the poor prognosis of the disease. After surgery, the patient's condition should be closely observed to prevent recurrence and metastasis. Postoperative chemotherapy is only helpful for treating the disease to a certain extent.

Keywords: Trophoblastic tumor; Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor; Serum chorionic gonadotropin; Vaginal bleeding; The partial hydatidiform mole; Choriocarcinoma; Case report

Core Tip: Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor (ETT) is a rare type of intermediate trophoblastic tumor. Clinical manifestations include irregular vaginal bleeding and changing serum chorionic gonadotropin levels. This case highlights the ultimate importance of histopathological biopsy and immunohistochemistry. Survival outcomes from this disease are high but the tumor can easily relapse and metastasize. Therefore, long-term follow-up is important for the future diagnosis and treatment of ETT.