Causes of Choriocarcinoma
List of causes of Choriocarcinoma
Following is a list of causes or underlying conditions
(see also Misdiagnosis of underlying causes of Choriocarcinoma)
that could possibly cause Choriocarcinoma includes:
Choriocarcinoma Causes: Book Excerpts
Related information on causes of Choriocarcinoma:
As with all medical conditions,
there may be many causal factors.
Further relevant information on causes of Choriocarcinoma may be found in:
Causes of Choriocarcinoma: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the causes of Choriocarcinoma.
Abruptio placentae:
Causes
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
The cause of abruptio placentae is often unknown. Predisposing factors include trauma, such as a direct blow to the uterus, placental site bleeding from a needle puncture during amniocentesis, chronic or pregnancy-induced hypertension (which raises pressure on the placenta’s maternal side), multiparity, smoking, and cocaine abuse.
In abruptio placentae, blood vessels at the placental bed rupture spontaneously owing to a lack of resiliency or to abnormal changes in uterine vasculature. Hypertension complicates the situation, as does an enlarged uterus, which can’t contract sufficiently to seal off the torn vessels. Consequently, bleeding continues unchecked, possibly shearing off the placenta partially or completely. Typically, such bleeding is external or marginal (in about 80% of patients) if a peripheral portion of the placenta separates from the uterine wall; it is internal or concealed (in about 20%) if the central portion of the placenta becomes detached and the still-intact peripheral portions trap the blood. As blood enters the muscle fibers, complete relaxation of the uterus becomes impossible, increasing uterine tone and irritability. If bleeding into the muscle fibers is profuse, the uterus turns blue or purple, and the accumulated blood prevents its normal contractions after delivery (Couvelaire uterus, or uteroplacental apoplexy).
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Introduction: Malignant Neoplasms:
What causes cancer?
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Researchers have found that cancer develops from mutations within the genes of cells. Thus, cancer is a genetic disease. Cancer susceptibility genes are of two types. Some are oncogenes, which activate cell division and influence embryonic development, and some are tumor suppressor genes, which halt cell division.
These genes are typically found in normal human cells, but certain kinds of mutations may transform the normal cells. Inherited defects may cause a genetic mutation, whereas exposure to a carcinogen may cause an acquired mutation. Current evidence indicates that carcinogenesis results from a complex interaction of carcinogens and accumulated mutations in several genes.
In animal studies of the ability of viruses to transform cells, some human viruses exhibit carcinogenic potential. For example, the Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of infectious mononucleosis, has been linked to Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal cancer.
High-frequency radiation, such as ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, damages the genetic material known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), possibly inducing genetically transferable abnormalities. Other factors, such as a person's tissue type and hormonal status, interact to potentiate radiation's carcinogenic effect. Examples of substances that may damage DNA and induce carcinogenesis include:
❑alkylating agents — leukemia
❑aromatic hydrocarbons and benzopyrene (from polluted air) — lung cancer
❑asbestos — mesothelioma of the lung
❑tobacco — cancer of the lung, oral cavity and upper airways, esophagus, pancreas, kidneys, and bladder
❑vinyl chloride — angiosarcoma of the liver.
Diet has also been implicated, especially in the development of GI cancer as a result of a high animal fat diet. Additives composed of nitrates and certain methods of food preparation — particularly charbroiling — are also recognized factors.
The role of hormones in carcinogenesis is still controversial, but it seems that excessive use of some hormones, especially estrogen, produces cancer in animals. Also, the synthetic estrogen diethylstilbestrol causes vaginal cancer in some daughters of women who were treated with it. It's unclear, however, whether changes in human hormonal balance retard or stimulate cancer development.
Some forms of cancer and precancerous lesions result from genetic predisposition either directly (as in Wilms' tumor and retinoblastoma) or indirectly (in association with inherited conditions such as Down syndrome or immunodeficiency diseases). Expressed as autosomal recessive, X-linked, or autosomal dominant disorders, their common characteristics include:
❑early onset of malignant disease
❑increased incidence of bilateral cancer in paired organs (breasts, adrenal glands, kidneys, and eighth cranial nerve [acoustic neuroma])
❑increased incidence of multiple primary malignancies in nonpaired organs
❑abnormal chromosome complement in tumor cells.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Placenta previa:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
In placenta previa, the placenta may cover all (total, complete, or central), part (partial or incomplete), or a fraction (marginal or low-lying) of the internal cervical os. The degree of placenta previa depends largely on the extent of cervical dilation at the time of examination because the dilating cervix gradually uncovers the placenta. (See Three types of placenta previa.) Although the specific cause of placenta previa is unknown, factors that may affect the site of the placenta’s attachment to the uterine wall include:
❑ defective vascularization of the decidua
❑ multiple pregnancy (the placenta requires a larger surface for attachment)
❑ previous uterine surgery
❑ multiparity
❑ advanced maternal age.
In placenta previa, the uterus’ lower segment fails to provide as much nourishment as the fundus. The placenta tends to spread out, seeking the blood supply it needs, and becomes larger and thinner than normal. Eccentric insertion of the umbilical cord often develops, for unknown reasons. Hemorrhage occurs as the internal cervical os effaces and dilates, tearing the uterine vessels.
This disorder, one of the most common causes of bleeding during the second half of pregnancy, occurs in approximately 1 in 200 pregnancies, more commonly in multigravidas than in primigravidas.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Causes and incidence
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Primary tumors of the spinal cord may be extramedullary (occurring outside the spinal cord) or intramedullary (occurring within the cord itself). Extramedullary tumors may be intradural (meningiomas and schwannomas), which account for 60% of all primary malignant spinal cord neoplasms, or extradural (metastatic tumors from breasts, lungs, prostate, leukemia, or lymphomas), which account for 25% of these malignant neoplasms.
Intramedullary tumors, or gliomas (astrocytomas or ependymomas), are comparatively rare, accounting for only about 10%. In children, they're low-grade astrocytomas.
Spinal cord tumors are rare compared with intracranial tumors (ratio of 1:4). They occur equally in men and women, with the exception of meningiomas, which occur mostly in women. Spinal cord tumors can occur anywhere along the length of the cord or its roots.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Abruptio placentae:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
In many cases, the cause of abruptio placentae is unknown. Predisposing factors include cocaine use, trauma (such as a direct blow to the uterus resulting from abuse or accidental trauma), placental site bleeding from a needle puncture during amniocentesis, chronic or pregnancy-induced hypertension (which raises pressure on the maternal side of the placenta), multiparity of more than five, short umbilical cord, dietary deficiency, smoking, advanced maternal age, and pressure on the venae cavae from an enlarged uterus.
With abruptio placentae, blood vessels at the placental bed rupture spontaneously, owing to a lack of resiliency or to abnormal changes in uterine vasculature. Hypertension complicates the situation, as does an enlarged uterus, which can’t contract sufficiently to seal off the torn vessels. Consequently, bleeding continues unchecked, possibly shearing off the placenta partially or completely. If a peripheral portion of the placenta separates from the uterine wall, such bleeding is typically external or marginal (in about 80% of patients); if the central portion of the placenta becomes detached and the still-intact peripheral portions trap the blood, the bleeding is typically internal or concealed (in about 20% of patients). As blood enters the muscle fibers, the uterus is unable to completely relax, increasing uterine tone and irritability. If bleeding into the muscle fibers is profuse, the uterus turns blue or purple and the accumulated blood prevents its normal contractions after delivery (Couvelaire uterus, or uteroplacental apoplexy).
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Placenta previa:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
With placenta previa, the placenta may cover all (total, complete, or central), part (partial or incomplete), or a fraction (margin or low-lying) of the internal cervical os. (See Three types of placenta previa.) The degree of placenta previa depends largely on the extent of cervical dilation at the time of examination because the dilating cervix gradually uncovers the placenta. Although the specific cause of placenta previa is unknown, factors that may affect the site of the placenta’s attachment to the uterine wall include:
❑ defective vascularization of the decidua
❑ multiple pregnancy (the placenta requires a larger surface for attachment)
❑ previous uterine surgery
❑ multiparity
❑ advanced maternal age.
With placenta previa, the lower segment of the uterus fails to provide as much nourishment as the fundus. The placenta tends to spread out, seeking the blood supply it needs, and becomes larger and thinner than normal. For unknown reasons, eccentric insertion of the umbilical cord often develops. Hemorrhage occurs as the internal cervical os effaces and dilates, tearing the uterine vessels.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Lymphomas, malignant:
Causes
(Handbook of Diseases)
The cause of malignant lymphomas is unknown, although some theories suggest a viral source. Up to 35,000 new cases appear annually in the United States. Malignant lymphomas are two to three times more common in males than in females and occur in all age-groups.
Although rare in children, these lymphomas occur one to three times more often and cause twice as many deaths as Hodgkin’s disease in children under age 15. Incidence rises with age (median age is 50). Malignant lymphomas seem linked to certain races and ethnic groups, with increased incidence in whites and people of Jewish ancestry.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
What causes cancer and why is it so hard to treat? Leading experts provide an overview of cancer, from what goes wrong in a cell's genetic...
Sexual contact can sometimes result in problems. An unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases may be some of those consequences. But by...
Stress takes its toll by making us anxious, depressed and not able to function as fully as we'd like. What many don't know is that stress can...
Sleep is necessary to feel refreshed, but now we know sleep actually impacts the way the body functions. Sleeping poorly can affect how often you get...
See full list of 4 related videos
» Next page: Symptoms of Choriocarcinoma
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
