Pathology · Reproductive System · Hard

Choriocarcinoma

Meaning: Aggressive malignant tumour arising from placental trophoblast cells.

In practice: Very high hCG levels after a molar pregnancy suggested choriocarcinoma.

Word parts

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

Two questions on related pathology words.

Which word means: Lack of an immune response to an antigen, often used to describe unresponsive T cells.

Which word means: Usually harmless substance, such as pollen or peanut, that triggers an exaggerated immune reaction in a sensitised person.

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