Molar Pregnancy / Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD)
Practical guidelines of the EOTTD for pathological and genetic diagnosis of hydatidiform moles
New guidelines from the Pathology and Genetics Working Party of the European Organisation for Treatment of Trophoblastic Diseases that describe the pathological criteria and ancillary techniques that can be used in the differential diagnosis of hydatidiform moles.
- Authors
Brendan Fitzgerald, Caroline Joyce
- Year
- 2024
- Journal Name
- Virchows Archiv
- Category
- Journal Article
- Keywords
- Molar pregnancy / Gestational Trophoblastic Disease
- Project
- Full Citation
Bartosch C, Nadal A, Braga AC, Salerno A, Rougemont A-L, Van Rompuy A-S, Fitzgerald B, Joyce C, Allias F, Maher GJ, Turowski G, Tille J-C, Drak Alsibai K, Van de Vijver K, McMahon L, Sunde L, Pyzlak M, Downey P, Wessman S, Patrier S, Kaur B, Fisher R. Practical guidelines of the EOTTD for pathological and genetic diagnosis of hydatidiform moles. Virchows Arch. 2024;484(3):401-422. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-023-03658-8.
- Link to Publication
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-023-03658-8
Abstract
A small percentage of miscarried pregnancies may have abnormal placental tissue that is described as a “Hydatidiform Mole”, sometimes described as a “molar pregnancy”. This molar placental tissue carries a risk of persisting within the womb or in rare instances becoming malignant in which case chemotherapy may be required. In miscarriages from early stages of pregnancy, these molar pregnancies can be difficult for the pathologist to diagnose and they may need to use special techniques or involve geneticist colleagues. This paper provides guidelines for the diagnosis of molar pregnancies, agreed by an expert European Group, that pathologists and geneticists can use as a diagnostic guide. With accurate diagnoses, patients can ultimately be managed most appropriately.