[Choriocarcinoma treatment: goal and issues]

The success of choriocarcinoma treatment in Japan is over 90% at the present time. As for the first contribution, chemotherapeutic progress contributed to this success greatly. The next contribution is establishment of the registration system of administration of the hydatidiform mole patients, since the course of choriocarcinoma in most cases is hydatidiform mole --> invasive mole --> choriocarcinoma. When treatment is begun by preventive measures for benign tumors at the very onset of the invasive hydatidiform mole, there are fewer choriocarcinoma onsets. Moreover, discovery of choriocarcinoma in the initial stages contributes to a better prognosis. However, following abortion or normal childbirth, different measures may be necessary. No problems were found with patients once treated for invasive hydatidiform mole in connection with current problems involving post-treatment pregnancy or delivery. However, in cases of pregnancy or abortion after choriocarcinoma treatment done with multi-cancer agents strongly, heart malformations are seen in some newborns, and how to preserve egg cells may pose a problem at the time of anti-cancer agent administration.