What is the Difference Between Hydatidiform Mole and Choriocarcinoma

The key difference between hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma is that hydatidiform mole is a benign form of gestational trophoblastic disease, while choriocarcinoma is a very aggressive form of gestational trophoblastic disease.

Gestational trophoblastic disease is a group of rare tumors that usually occur during pregnancy. These tumors can be benign or malignant and start in the cells that normally would develop into the placenta. Placenta connects the fetus to the uterus. Gestational trophoblastic disease is usually present in patients under age 20 or over age 40. Hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma are two different types of gestational trophoblastic diseases.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hydatidiform Mole 
3. What is Choriocarcinoma
4. Similarities – Hydatidiform Mole and Choriocarcinoma
5. Hydatidiform Mole vs Choriocarcinoma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hydatidiform Mole vs Choriocarcinoma

What is Hydatidiform Mole?

Hydatidiform mole occurs when an egg and sperm combine incorrectly during fertilization, ultimately creating a noncancerous tumor called hydatidiform mole. This can be of two types: complete and partial. In a complete hydatidiform mole, the sperm fertilizes with an empty egg (no DNA). As the egg is empty, the embryo cannot grow. Although the placental tissue grows, it is abnormal. This placental tissue contains fluid-filled cysts (or tumors). In a partial hydatidiform mole, two sperms fertilize one egg. Therefore, in this type, an abnormal placenta develops along with an embryo, but the growing embryo has an extra set of chromosomes and cannot survive.

Hydatidiform mole is caused by genetic errors that start during the fertilization of an egg by a sperm. Moreover, the symptoms of this condition include vaginal bleeding, severe nausea and vomiting, grape-like cysts coming out of the vagina, preeclampsia, abnormally high HCG levels, abdominal swelling, and anemia. The risk factors for this condition include women who are younger than age 20, women who are over the age of 40, a history of molar pregnancy, having had two or more miscarriages, and women of Asian descent.

Hydatidiform moles can be diagnosed through ultrasounds of the uterus and blood tests. Furthermore, treatment options for hydatidiform moles may include dilation and curettage (D&C) with suction to remove all abnormal tissue from the uterus and hysterectomy.

What is Choriocarcinoma?

Choriocarcinoma is a type of gestational trophoblastic disease that may have begun as a hydatidiform mole or may begin from the tissue that remains in the uterus after a miscarriage or full-term delivery of a baby. It is a malignant and more aggressive form of gestational trophoblastic disease. Choriocarcinoma can also spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, and/or brain. Choriocarcinoma occurs with a complete hydatidiform mole, an early pregnancy that does not continue (miscarriage), after an ectopic pregnancy or genital tumor. Moreover, the symptoms of choriocarcinoma may include vaginal bleeding, abdominal pressure, cough, trouble breathing, chest pain, headache, and dizziness.

The risk factors for choriocarcinoma include having a history of molar pregnancy, having a history of miscarriage, having a history of ectopic pregnancy, being pregnant under the age of 20 or over the age of 35, having high levels of HCG, having low levels vitamin A, having A type or AB type blood, having a family history of molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole, and smoking.

Choriocarcinoma can be diagnosed through pelvic examinations, blood tests, urine tests, and imaging tests such as CT, MRI, ultrasound, or X-ray. Furthermore, the treatment options for choriocarcinoma may include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to remove the uterus (hysterectomy).

What are the Similarities Between Hydatidiform Mole and Choriocarcinoma?

• Hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma are two different types of gestational trophoblastic disease.
• Both are associated conditions as a complete hydatidiform mole can turn into choriocarcinoma.
• In both conditions, HCG hormone levels in the blood are higher than the normal pregnancy.
• Both conditions can be diagnosed through imaging tests.
• They can be treated through surgeries.

What is the Difference Between Hydatidiform Mole and Choriocarcinoma?

Hydatidiform mole is a benign form of gestational trophoblastic disease, while choriocarcinoma is a very aggressive form of gestational trophoblastic disease. Thus, this is the key difference between hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma. Moreover, risk factors associated with hydatidiform moles include women below 20 years of age, those exceeding 40 years, a past occurrence of molar pregnancy, a history of two or more miscarriages, and being of Asian descent. Conversely, risk factors for choriocarcinoma entail a history of molar pregnancy, miscarriage, or ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy at ages under 20 or over 35, elevated HCG levels, deficient vitamin A levels, blood types A or AB, a familial history of molar pregnancy or hydatidiform mole, and tobacco smoking.

The infographic below presents the differences between hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Hydatidiform Mole vs Choriocarcinoma

A gestational trophoblastic disease is a group of diseases where abnormal trophoblast cells grow inside the uterus after conception. Hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma are two different types of gestational trophoblastic disease. Hydatidiform mole is a benign form of gestational trophoblastic disease, while choriocarcinoma is a very aggressive form of gestational trophoblastic disease. Moreover, hydatidiform mole is a more common type of gestational trophoblastic disease than choriocarcinoma. So, this summarizes the difference between hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma.

Reference:

1. Lisa E Moore, MD. “Hydatidiform Mole.” Practice Essentials, Background, Pathophysiology.
2. “Choriocarcinoma.” MedlinePlus. Medical Encyclopedia.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Hydatidiform mole (1) complete type” (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Choriocarcinoma -2- very high mag” By Nephron – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia