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Case Reports
. 2015 Dec 24:15:1013.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-015-2031-1.

A case study on the potential angiogenic effect of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in rapid progression and spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma during pregnancy and after surgical abortion

László Mangel  1 , Krisztina Bíró  2 , István Battyáni  3 , Péter Göcze  4 , Tamás Tornóczky  5 , Endre Kálmán  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

A case study on the potential angiogenic effect of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone in rapid progression and spontaneous regression of metastatic renal cell carcinoma during pregnancy and after surgical abortion

László Mangel et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Treatment possibilities of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) have recently changed dramatically prolonging the overall survival of the patients. This kind of development brings new challenges for the care of mRCC.

Case presentation: A 22 year-old female patient with translocation type mRCC, who previously had been treated for nearly 5 years, became pregnant during the treatment break period. Follow-up examinations revealed a dramatic clinical and radiological progression of mRCC in a few weeks therefore the pregnancy was terminated. A few days after surgical abortion, CT examination showed a significant spontaneous regression of the pulmonary metastases, and the volume of the largest manifestation decreased from ca. 30 to 3.5 cm(3) in a week. To understand the possible mechanism of this spectacular regression, estrogen, progesterone and luteinizing hormone receptors (ER, PGR and LHR, respectively) immuno-histochemistry assays were performed on the original surgery samples. Immuno-histochemistry showed negative ER, PGR and positive LHR status suggesting the possible angiogenic effect of human chorionic gonadotropin hormone (hCG) in the background.

Conclusion: We hypothesize that pregnancy may play a causal role in the progression of mRCC via the excess amount of hCG, however, more data are necessary to validate the present notions and the predictive role of LHR overexpression.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Xp 11.2 translocation carcinoma, with TFE3 fusion protein immunostaining
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Chest X-ray examination before (left) and after (right) surgical abortion. The diameter of the largest pulmonary manifestation decreased significantly
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Chest MRI and CT examination before (left) and after (right) surgical abortion. The volume of the largest pulmonary manifestation decreased from 30.02 cm3 to 3.51 cm3
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Negative ER status on IHC examination of the tumor
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Extremely high density of LHR on IHC examination of the tumor
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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