Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Cervix Secreting Ectopic Serum Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

Michelle E-Jyn Kwek, Yu Hui Lim, Sheow Lei Lim, Wai Loong Wong

Abstract


An elevated serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) level in a female patient usually demonstrates the presence of a pregnancy or to a lesser extent, gestational trophoblastic disease or ovarian germ cell tumours. We report a case of metastatic cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) presenting with an elevated serum beta-hCG. A 44-year-old Vietnamese lady, para 3, with a past surgical history of a Cesarean section and tubal ligation, was first diagnosed with stage 3B cervical SCC in November 2016 and underwent chemoradiation. She completed her treatment uneventfully and remained disease-free. She then presented to the emergency department in January 2018 complaining of right lower back and abdominal pain for 2 weeks. Her urine pregnancy test was positive and her serum beta-hCG was done which showed an elevated level of 593 IU/mL. Further investigations showed no intra or extra-uterine pregnancy and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the abdomen and pelvis revealed no pelvic recurrence but presence of a large liver mass and para-aortic lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of the mass confirmed recurrent metastatic cervical SCC. She was not a suitable candidate for surgery and was counseled for palliative chemotherapy. beta-hCG trending revealed a downward trend after commencing on palliative chemotherapy. Ectopic secretion of beta-hCG from tumour cells is a consideration in a patient who has detectable serum beta-hCG but no clinical evidence of pregnancy. Although rare, metastatic or recurrent cervical SCC can secrete serum beta-hCG and case reports have shown presence of serum beta-hCG even in non-gynecological tumours. Larger studies are required to investigate the full potential of serum or urinary beta-hCG in the role of prognosticating SCC of the cervix.




J Med Cases. 2018;9(8):252-254
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3103w

Keywords


Cervical cancer; Squamous cell carcinoma; HCG

Full Text: HTML PDF
 

Browse  Journals  

 

Journal of Clinical Medicine Research

Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism

Journal of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics

 

World Journal of Oncology

Gastroenterology Research

Journal of Hematology

 

Journal of Medical Cases

Journal of Current Surgery

Clinical Infection and Immunity

 

Cardiology Research

World Journal of Nephrology and Urology

Cellular and Molecular Medicine Research

 

Journal of Neurology Research

International Journal of Clinical Pediatrics

 

 
       
 

Journal of Medical Cases, monthly, ISSN 1923-4155 (print), 1923-4163 (online), published by Elmer Press Inc.                     
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
This is an open-access journal distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted
non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Creative Commons Attribution license (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International CC-BY-NC 4.0)


This journal follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals,
the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

website: www.journalmc.org   editorial contact: editor@journalmc.org    elmer.editorial@hotmail.com
Address: 9225 Leslie Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3H6, Canada

© Elmer Press Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editors and Elmer Press Inc. This website is provided for medical research and informational purposes only and does not constitute any medical advice or professional services. The information provided in this journal should not be used for diagnosis and treatment, those seeking medical advice should always consult with a licensed physician.