Choriocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the esophagus with gonadotropin secretion

Abstract

A 44‐year‐old man died of disseminated choriocarcinoma. The esophagus was verified as the apparent primary source at postmortem examination. The esophageal tumor, but not the metastases, also contained well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma. Similar cases of mixed adenocarcinoma and choriocarcinoma have been reported to occur in the stomach. We believe that the basic lesion was an adenocarcinoma which underwent metaplasia to form cells morphologically and functionally indistinguishable from trophoblasts. This explanation would supplant the traditional idea of “embryonic rests” as the source of extragenital choriocarcinomas of the viscera. The literature is reviewed on the uncommon involvement of the gastrointestinal tract by choriocarcinoma.

Endodermal sinus tumor of the paranasal sinuses

“…6 Friedman suggested that germ cells are present in apparently ectopic sites in all humans. 13 The notion that ESTs develop by malignant transformation of primordial germ cells is not supported by cases in which malignant tumors occur in the absence of teratomatous elements, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, [14][15][16] kidney, 17 and urinary bladder. 18 Furthermore, since animal experiments have induced EST in the absence of primordial germ cell, it is argued that somatic cells can be induced to differentiate into structures resembling fetal yolk sac.…”

Primary Choriocarcinoma of the Jejunum: Report of a Case

“…Although there is some speculation about the origin of choriocarcinoma in the gastrointestinal tract, the hypothesis of McKechnie and Fechner, 19 which states that choriocarcinoma is derived by retrodifferentiation from adenocarcinoma cells, is generally accepted. This theory is supported by other reports in which elements of both choriocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma were observed simultaneously in the same tumor.…”

A Rare Case of Primary Pulmonary Choriocarcinoma in a Male: Immunohistochemical Detection for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and EGF-Receptor.

“…The tumor usually occurs in the testis [3]. The other sites of the tumor are the mediastinum, retroperitonium, alimentary tract, urinary bladder, liver, kidneys, pineal body and pituitary gland [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. Our case showed no evidence of primary neoplastic lesions in these organs in careful autopsy examination.…”