Biomarker Revolution in Choriocarcinoma: Beyond β-hCG - Emerging Tools for Diagnosis, Prognosis & Therapeutic...

Choriocarcinoma, a rare yet highly aggressive gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, is uniquely responsive to chemotherapy. The serum marker β-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) has long been central to its diagnosis and monitoring, but not without limitations. Persistent false positives, poor specificity for residual disease or resistance, and slow detection of relapse are a few to mention. Advances in precision oncology have introduced novel biomarkers, such as ctDNA, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, miRNAs, and exosomal miRNAs, that promise improved specificity, early relapse detection, and personalized monitoring. This review encapsulates the current landscape of emerging biomarkers in choriocarcinoma, categorizes them by methodological class and clinical utility, discusses integration challenges, and outlines future research directions toward multi-marker precision diagnostics.