Choriocarcinoma in infant and mother

A 2-month-old female baby was noticed to have liver tumor. A hemangioma of the right lobe was suspected from the findings by celiac angiography. Histologic findings of the surgically resected material revealed choriocarcinoma of the liver. At autopsy, multiple metastatic nodules were found in the lungs, but remnant liver, ovaries, uterus, mediastinum, and sacrococcygeal region were free of tumor. The ovary had several thecalutein cysts, and the endometrium of the uterus showed pseudodecidual change of the stroma. The mother died two months later. Although histologic materials were not available, the clinical findings including a high value of serum HCG seemed to show that she had been affected by choriocarcinoma. The most probable origin of the choriocarcinoma in the infant from the mother is discussed.