METASTATIC CHORIOCARCINOMA - CORRELATION OF MRI, CT, AND ANGIOGRAPHY

CHORIOCARCINOMA is uncommon in the US, occurring in 1/24,096 pregnanci es.(1,2) It is a neoplasm of syncytiotrophoblastic origin that occurs approximately 50% of the time after a molar pregnancy and less frequen tly after a normal pregnancy (25%) or spontaneous abortion (24%).(2) T he lung and vagina are the most frequent sites of metastatic disease, though metastasis has been reported in the brain and the genito-urinar y and gastrointestinal systems.(3,4) When choriocarcinoma is suspected , rising blood titers of the beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotro pin (beta-HCG) are diagnostic. When the tumor is unsuspected, however, its presentation and appearance on imaging studies present a diagnost ic challenge. We report a case of unsuspected choriocarcinoma metastat ic to the liver, GI tract, and eventually the brain in a patient who h ad no recent history of pregnancy.