[Placental site trophoblastic tumor: case report and review of literature] Praxis [Praxis (Bern 1994)] Journal article

A 32-year-old para 3 patient is presented having suffered from a silent uterine rupture on the occasion of her second and third Caesarean sections. After the third Caesarean section, there was light uterine bleeding whilst the patient breastfed for five months. Amenorrhoea then ensued due to oral contraception. Regular clinical and ultrasound checks revealed negative serum beta-HCG values and retrovesicular resistance, which increased in size after 18 months and became symptomatic. Because the patient's family was complete, abdominal hysterectomy without adnexectomy was performed. Histology revealed a placental site trophoblastic tumour (PSTT). This is a rare tumour with malignant potential, whose prognosis depends on the stage of the primary tumour, the period of time between the last pregnancy and onset of disease, the patient's age, and the rate of mitosis, and whose progress cannot be assessed using the WHO Prognostic Index Score for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease. In therapeutic terms, hysterectomy is recommended. Chemosensitivity is low and, due to the infrequency of the tumours, the most suitable chemotherapy scheme is unknown. In the case of metastasising or recurrent PSTT, the EP/EMA regime has proved to be most effective.

Praxis [Praxis (Bern 1994)]