Disseminated Primary Pulmonary Choriocarcinoma Successfully Treated by Chemotherapy: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma (PPC) is frequently fatal due to difficulties in diagnosis. Few cases of PPC are bilateral and involve exceptionally large nodules. Here, we report an unusual case of PPC involving disseminated bilateral nodules, which was misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, but successfully treated using chemotherapy. A review of 65 cases revealed six cases of bilateral disease, including the present one. Patients treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or a combination of both showed similar treatment outcomes; however, chemotherapy may be the preferred option. Despite its rarity, PPC should be included in the differential diagnosis for all lung nodules to enable early detection.

Keywords:

• Primary pulmonary choriocarcinoma
• human chorionic gonadotropin
• chemotherapy

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) under Grant number [2020R1A2C1003536].