A 22-year-old man sees his physician because of painful enlargement of the testis. On gross examination, the tumor measures 4 cm in diameter and is dark red. Histologically, it is composed of mononuclear cytotrophoblastic and multinucleated syncytiotrophoblastic cells surrounded by blood and necrotic tissue. Serologic studies would most likely show that the patient's blood contains elevated levels of which of the following hormones?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tumor in this patient is a choriocarcinoma; this type of tumor typically secretes human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is secreted by yolk sac tumors. Nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT) often contain both choriocarcinoma and yolk sac tumor elements; therefore the blood of patients who have NSGCT contains both AFP and HCG.

A 22-Year-Old Man Sees His Physician Because of Painful Enlargement