Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a rare condition that arises out of an abnormal pregnancy in which a tumor develops in the cells and tissue that form the placenta, preventing the embryo from developing normally. If benign, the tumor is generally called a molar pregnancy. In rare cases, the tumor develops into a malignancy that can invade the walls of the uterus or other organs.
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How Is Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Diagnosed?
Gestational trophoblastic disease may be detected following abnormal signs or symptoms during pregnancy; or, the disease may be diagnosed through routine prenatal testing. Certain hormones, detectable in blood and urine tests, may lead a physician to diagnose GTD. The next step after diagnosis is staging the disease (determining the severity and level of treatment required by the patient’s GTD).
What Are My Treatment Options for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease?
Your gynecologist at WMCHealth Physicians will present a custom GTD treatment plan based on the stage of your disease and your plans for the future. Treatment options may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Removal of the tumor by suction dilation and curettage (D&C) is the standard GTD treatment for women who would like to have children in the future. Hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) is the standard treatment for women who do not plan to have children.
Low-risk gestational trophoblastic disease can be treated with a rate of cure near 100 percent. Even high-risk GTD has a cure rate between 80 and 90 percent. In women who had molar pregnancies and low-risk GTD, recurrence is not common; for women who had high-risk GTD, recurrence could be as high as 10 to 15 percent.
Fertility and Pregnancy After Gestational Trophoblastic Disease?
Fertility and pregnancy following GTD is possible in most cases. In fact, women who have had GTD carry about the same level of risk for pregnancy complications as women who have not had GTD. There is a one to two percent risk of having a second molar pregnancy.
WMCHealth offers an Adolescent and Young Adult Program, which provides support for women between the ages of 15 and 39 who have been diagnosed with GTD. This program aids women in their survivorship journey, providing resources for topics such as sexuality, fertility and pregnancy. Learn more.
To request an appointment or refer a patient, please call 914.493.2181.