Choriocarcinoma of unknown origin with multiple organ metastasis and cerebral hemorrhage: A case report and literature review

Abstract

A 26‑year‑old man was admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University (Beijing, China) with a 4‑day history of headache, moderate fever and numbness in the right upper limb. Prior to this, the patient had been diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage by computed tomography (CT) scan upon visiting a local hospital. Chest X‑ray revealed multiple lesions in the lungs. Following referral, no abnormalities were found elsewhere, including in the testes, during a physical examination. Additional examination of other tumor biomarkers was unremarkable, and the initial suspicion of parasitic infection was ruled out. Tests revealed extremely high levels of β‑human chorionic gonadotropin (>200,000 mIU/ml). In addition, CT scans showed multiple metastases in the head, lungs, liver and kidneys. An ultra­sound‑guided Tru‑Cut biopsy of the liver was performed in order to form a definitive diagnosis. Although the patient was treated with mannitol to reduce intracranial pressure, and with cefoperazone sodium and sulbactam sodium to fight infec­tion, the patient succumbed to a cerebral hernia on the fourth day of hospitalization. Following this, the ultrasound‑guided Tru‑Cut liver biopsy result was received, which suggested a diagnosis of choriocarcinoma.