Study and treatment of gestational trophoblastic diseases at the John I. Brewer Trophoblastic Disease Center, 1962-1990.

From 1962 through 1989, 5063 patients were referred to the John I. Brewer Trophoblastic Disease Center of the Northwestern University Medical School. Among these were 564 patients treated with chemotherapy for gestational trophoblastic tumors (choriocarcinoma and invasive mole). The overall cure rate was 94%, 100% for 323 patients without evidence of metastases and 85% for 241 patients with metastatic disease. Four factors were determined to significantly influence treatment response: (1) clinicopathologic diagnosis of choriocarcinoma, (2) metastases to sites other than the lung or vagina, (3) number of metastases, and (4) previous failed chemotherapy.