Testicular choriocarcinoma: a rare variant that requires a unique treatment approach

Testicular germ cell tumors represent the most common malignancy among young men. While 5-year overall survival and cure for this population is greater than 95%, choriocarcinoma is an aggressive subtype of this disease with far worse prognosis--5-year survival for choriocarcinoma is less than 80%. In order to be able to treat these patients appropriately, a provider must recognize characteristic features of choriocarcinoma including elevated human chorionic gonadotropin in a young man with testicular mass; the astute clinician should also know the signs and symptoms of choriocarcinoma syndrome, characterized by bleeding from metastatic sites, which represents a medical emergency and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Treatment should be directed towards a goal of tumor marker normalization, and patients with refractory disease should be considered for advanced therapies and clinical trials. Choriocarcinoma is a unique and aggressive germ cell malignancy, and these patients require early aggressive treatment to improve their chance of survival.