Abstract
Primary choriocarcinoma of the colon is a very rare tumor, with only six reported cases in the world literature, all but one of which was associated with an adjacent adenocarcinoma. This has led to the suggestion that colonic choriocarcinomas may arise from the more typical adenocarcinoma via a process of further dedifferentiation. This article reviews the above cases and adds a further case from a 73-year-old male in whom no associated adenocarcinoma could be found despite careful postmortem examination. This finding gives support to the hypothesis that, rather than arising as a result of further dedifferentiation of an existing tumor, primary choriocarcinomas may also develop de novo in the large intestine.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
CA Moran S Suster (1997) ArticleTitlePrimary mediastinal choriocarcinomas Am J Surg Pathol 21 1007–1012
J Aparicio A Oltra . Martinez-Moragon C Llorca L Gomez-Aldaravi M Pastor (1996) ArticleTitleExtragonadal nongestational choriocarcinoma involving the lung Respiration 63 251–253
J Trubenbach PL Pereira PE Hupper et al. (1997) ArticleTitlePrimary choriocarcinoma of the pulmonary artery mimicking pulmonary embolism Br J Radiol 70 843–845
Y Imai T Kawabe M Takahashi et al. (1994) ArticleTitleA case of primary gastric choriocarcinoma and a review of the Japanese literature J Gastroenterol 29 642–646
M Coskun AM Agildere F Boyvat C Tarhan EA Niron (1998) ArticleTitlePrimary choriocarcinoma of the stomach and pancreas Eur Radiol. 8 1425–1428
B Ravi AK Dalal U Sharma JC Dhall (1997) ArticleTitleChoriocarcinoma of the small gut Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 76 712–713
VM Lema BS Makanani T Saukila (1997) ArticleTitleAntepartum and postpartum haemorrhage in primary cervical choriocarcinoma East Afr Med J 74 600–602
S Deodhare CS Leung M Bullock (1996) ArticleTitleChoriocarcinoma associated with transitional cell carcinoma in-situ of the ureter Histopathology 28 363–365
SD Tinkler JT Roberts MC Robinson PD Ramsden (1996) ArticleTitlePrimary choriocarcinoma of the urinary bladder Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 8 59–61
CH Park JD Reid (1980) ArticleTitleAdenocarcinoma of the colon with choriocarcinoma in its metastases Cancer 46 570–575
GK Nguyen (1982) ArticleTitleAdenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon with focal choriocarcinoma metaplasia Dis Colon Rectum 25 230–234
NG Ordonez MA Luna (1984) ArticleTitleChoriocarcinoma of the colon Am J Gastroenterol 79 39–42
H Kubosawa K Nagao Y Kondo H Ishige N Inaba (1984) ArticleTitleCoexistence of adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma in the sigmoid colon Cancer 54 866–868
HM Lind P Haghighi (1986) ArticleTitleCarcinoembryonic antigen staining in choriocarcinoma Am J Clin Pathol 86 538–540
M Tokisue K Yasutake M Oya et al. (1996) ArticleTitleCoexistence of choriocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma in the rectum J Gastroenterol 31 431–436
H Watanabe H Tokuyama H Ohta et al. (1990) ArticleTitleExpression of placental alkaline phosphatase in gastric and colonic cancers. An immunohistochemical study using the prepared monoclonal antibody Cancer 66 2575–2582
E Campo A Palacin C Benasco E Quesada A Cardesa (1987) ArticleTitleHuman chorionic gonadotrophin in colorectal carcinoma. An immunohistochemical study Cancer 59 1611–1616
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
About this article
Cite this article
Le, D.T., Austin, R.C., Payne, S.N. et al. Choriocarcinoma of the colon. Dis Colon Rectum 46, 264–266 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-004-6532-2
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10350-004-6532-2