Disseminated choriocarcinoma in infancy is curable by chemotherapy and delayed tumour resection

Eur J Cancer. 2001 Jan;37(1):72-8. doi: 10.1016/s0959-8049(00)00365-8.

Abstract

Infantile choriocarcinoma has a poor prognosis with only 2 surviving children reported in the literature. 2 additional successfully treated children are presented. 2 infants (age 3 and 4 months at diagnosis) suffering from rapidly progressive choriocarcinoma with widespread haematogenous metastases involving the liver were treated according to the cooperative germ cell tumour treatment protocol (MAKEI 96) of the German Society of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology (GPOH). PEI-chemotherapy (cisplatin, etoposide, ifosfamide; no ifosfamide before the age of 4 months) was combined with delayed tumour resection. Treatment resulted in sustained remission in both children (event-free survival 42 and 40 months). Interphase fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) analysis of the paraffin-embedded tumour sample from case one revealed four to eight copies of chromosomes X, 1 and 17 and two Y chromosomes. Hybridisation with sub-telomere and centromere specific probes for chromosome 1 displayed an imbalance between the short and long arms of chromosome 1. In the tumour cells from case 2, only a polysomy of chromosome X could be proven, other aberrations were not analysed in this case for technical reasons.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Choriocarcinoma / drug therapy*
  • Choriocarcinoma / pathology
  • Choriocarcinoma / surgery
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage
  • Diseases in Twins
  • Etoposide / administration & dosage
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ifosfamide / administration & dosage
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Infant
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / surgery
  • Male
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / pathology
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / surgery
  • Prognosis
  • Scapula
  • Shoulder Joint
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Etoposide
  • Cisplatin
  • Ifosfamide

Supplementary concepts

  • ICE protocol 1