Gestational Trophoblastic Disease in Brazil - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

Gestational Trophoblastic Disease in Brazil |

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a group of conditions characterized by abnormal proliferation of placental trophoblast. Hydatidiform mole (HM) is the most common form of GTD, which has a frequency of 1 case per 1,000 pregnancies in North America and Europe; however, the incidence of the disease is thought to be at least two to three times higher in Brazil.

In developing countries, due to the delay in diagnosis of HM, it is not uncommon for patients to develop clinical complications, which can represent causes of potentially life-threatening conditions, maternal near miss and maternal deaths. The only way to prevent those adverse outcomes is the early diagnosis of HM and prompt uterine evacuation. After uterine evacuation, patients with HM need to be carefully followed due to the risk of development of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). The early diagnosis of GTN is key to ensure cure, and patients with late diagnosis of GTN require more aggressive and toxic treatment and hold worse prognosis, often with metastatic disease. Official national data on the morbidity and mortality rates of patients with GTD is not available. Currently, a nationwide collaborative study is in progress to better understand the morbidity and mortality of patients with GTN in Brazil, through the Brazilian Network for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Study Group, which has developed several collaborative studies over the last years to advance the understanding of GTD.

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