Choriocarcinoma syndrome

To explore the possibility of choriocarcinoma syndrome developing as a potentially fatal complication in patients with this pathology.

Choriocarcinoma syndrome consists of hemorrhagic manifestations of metastases in advanced germ cell cancer containing large elements of choriocarcinoma. It should be suspected in patients with high tumor mass, multiple metastases and elevated tumor markers characteristic of germ cell tumors. It usually occurs before and during the onset of systemic treatment with chemotherapy. Failure to diagnose it can lead to fatal consequences and may require aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic measures such as surgery. It can also be prevented by developing a good therapeutic strategy that includes an interdisciplinary team, raising the possibility of deferring testicular surgery and beginning chemotherapy beforehand.

We report two cases of men with the diagnosis of choriocarcinoma syndrome on liver metastases. We provide ultrasound and CT images of the two cases of hemorrhage on liver metastases and radiological characteristics peculiar to each case that have never been published before.

There should be a high index of suspicion of life-threatening complications in patients with germ cell tumors with a choriocarcinoma component, including the development of life-threatening choriocarcinoma syndrome.