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Newly Diagnosed? We Can Help
Getting the correct diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment from the start is crucial

At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, we have a sophisticated program for the diagnosis and management of women with high-risk GTD.

Almost all forms of nonmetastatic GTD -- disease that is confined to the uterus and has not spread to another part of the body -- can be cured with prompt management. Even advanced GTD can be extremely responsive to carefully monitored chemotherapy. Effective multidrug chemotherapy regimens have vastly improved the outlook for patients with metastatic disease, with cure rates currently as high as 80 to 90 percent.

The two primary approaches for treating GTD are surgery and chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is rarely used and is usually reserved for use in combination treatment for patients whose GTD has spread to the brain.

Surgery

Hydatidiform moles are most commonly removed by dilation and suction curettage (D&C), which is usually performed as an outpatient procedure. Sometimes, women with GTD may be treated with surgery to completely remove the uterus (hysterectomy). However, especially for young women of child-bearing age, the surgeon will try to preserve the uterus whenever possible. After surgery, your doctor will measure your HCG level to verify that the mole was completely removed.

Chemotherapy

If the GTD has spread beyond the uterus or into the uterus, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy. Women who have had hydatidiform moles removed and whose tumors persist but have not spread may receive the drugs methotrexate or actinomycin-D.

Chorioadenomas and choriocarcinomas are both highly responsive to prompt management with newer multidrug regimens. Drugs commonly used to treat these cancers include methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, and actinomycin-D. The drug regimen is repeated after several days or weeks until HCG tests indicate that the disease has gone into remission.


Last Updated: Nov. 5, 2009
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