Recurrent Life-Threatening Gastrointestinal Bleeding From Primary Intestinal Choriocarcinoma: A Case Report

Choriocarcinoma is a highly aggressive, malignant tumor that arises from trophoblastic cells. Although choriocarcinomas usually arise in the genital organs, they can also originate in extragenital organs, but gastrointestinal tract lesions are rare. Gastrointestinal choriocarcinoma can be primary or metastatic. Most primary gastrointestinal choriocarcinomas are associated with adenocarcinomas. We report a case of jejunal choriocarcinoma presenting with acute abdominal pain and intestinal bleeding. The patient had a very high serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) level with an isolated jejunal lesion on contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis. The patient underwent emergency surgical resection of the jejunal lesion with good recovery. The histopathological analysis of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis of choriocarcinoma. However, the patient suffered from life-threatening rebleeding one month after surgery and succumbed to her illness.