Chemotherapy Used to Halt Lower GI Bleeding in a Rare Case of Metastatic Choriocarcinoma to the GI Tract

• Published in: Case reports in oncological medicine Vol. 2016; no. 2016; pp. 1 - 4
• Main Authors: Jain, Sanjay, Oprea-Ilies, Gabriela, Grossniklaus, Emily, Karass, Michael, Oluwadamilola, Teniola, Seoud, Talal, Kamel, Ralph, Goldstein, Daniel A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 01.01.2016; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited; Wiley
• Subjects: Cancer; Care and treatment; Case Report; Case studies; Chemotherapy; Choriocarcinoma; Complications and side effects; Development and progression; Gastroenterology; Gastrointestinal bleeding; Metastasis; Patient outcomes
• ISSN: 2090-6706; 2090-6714
• DOI: 10.1155/2016/7620205

Choriocarcinoma, a nonseminomatous germ cell tumor, is a rare type of testicular malignancy that tends to occur in young males. It is, however, exceedingly rare for choriocarcinoma to involve the GI tract. In this article, we present a rare case of a 31-year-old male, diagnosed with choriocarcinoma of the left testes, along with several metastases to distant sites. The patient presented with headaches and severe lower GI bleeding due to metastases to the GI tract, which was eventually controlled with systemic chemotherapy, while requiring several units of packed RBCs during his admission to the hospital. An extensive literature review found very few cases of the occurrence of GI bleeding as a consequence of choriocarcinoma due to metastases to the GI tract.