Complete remission of choriocarcinoma with pulmonary vein thrombosis in the third trimester of pregnancy treated with systemic chemotherapy and anticoagulation: A case report

RATIONALE: Choriocarcinoma is a highly aggressive tumor. It occurs infrequently during pregnancy. The management of choriocarcinoma during pregnancy poses several challenges. PATIENT CONCERNS: At 34 weeks of gestation, a 21-year-old primigravida was transferred to the emergency room for cephalgia, reduced fetal movements, and left intra-atrial intracavitary thrombus. DIAGNOSIS: Choriocarcinoma in the third trimester with lung and brain metastases, pulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT), and systemic thrombosis INTERVENTION: An emergency cesarean section was performed. Subsequently, low-molecular-weight heparin anticoagulation combined with multiagent chemotherapy was administered. OUTCOME: A 1.59 kg live female was born. Multiagent chemotherapy combined with anticoagulation led to complete regression of the cerebral and pulmonary lesions and the dissolution of pulmonary vein thrombus. At the 11-month follow-up, the patient remained in complete remission without complications, and her child was disease-free. LESSONS: This is the first case of gestational choriocarcinoma with PVT. Our case suggests that conservative therapy can be the first choice for small, asymptomatic PVT secondary to choriocarcinoma.