Case report: Choriocarcinoma (2010)

Record number:

Adverse Occurrence type:

MPHO Type:

Estimated frequency:

Most recent risk assessment for choriocarcinoma (Council of Europe, 2022): Due to the high transmission and mortality rates, it is considered an unacceptable risk for organ donation in any stage of disease. History of choriocarcinoma: Due to the reported high transmission and mortality rates, it is considered to be associated with a high or unacceptable risk for transmission through organ donation, depending on the recurrence-free period prior to donor death.

Time to detection:

1-3 months; first elevation of bHCG seen on day 30, pulmonary micronodules detected by scan on day 80.

Alerting signals, symptoms, evidence of occurrence:

Increased Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) levels, lung nodules and lumbar aortic lymph nodes.

Demonstration of imputability or root cause:

Condition known in the donor. She was a 26-year-old pregnant woman who died from a cerebral hemorrhage initially attributed to a vascular malformation. Post-mortem histologic examination demonstrated the presence of a placental choriocarcinoma three weeks after donation. More than one recipient affected from the same donor, all with elevsted HCG. Heart recipient was alive with progressive disease at time of report.

Imputability grade:

3 Definite/Certain/Proven

Groups audience:

Keywords:

lumbar aortic lymph nodes

hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin)

vascular malformation