A Case of Choriocarcinoma of the Duodenum

Ken Shimada, Tsuyoshi Takahashi, Nobukazu Nakayama, Muneki Yoshida, Yoshiki Hiki, Akira Kakita

Department of Surgery, Kitasato University School of Medicine

A 68-year-old man visted our hospital because of abdominal distention. Laboratory data on admission showed anemia and positive occult blood. Upper gastrointestinal fluoroscopy and endoscopic examination revealed an extramurally growing tumor in the second portion of the duodenum. These findigns suggested cancer of the duodenum, and carcinoma cells were confirmed in the biopsied specimens. The patient underwent pancreatoduodenectomy and partial hepatectomy along with regional lymph nodes dissection. Microscopically, the tumor was found to be choriocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical studies revealed that human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) was localized in the syncytiotrophoblasts with a more intense staining reaction. Choriocarcinoma of the duodenum is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only one case has been reported to date in the literature.

Key words
choriocarcinoma, duodenum, human chorionic gonadotropin

Reprint requests
Ken Shimada Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Kitasato University East Hospital
2-1-1 Asamizodai, Sagamihara, 228-8520 JAPAN

Accepted
February 12, 1998

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