Plasma levels of human chorionic somatomammotrophin, progesterone, unconjugated oestradiol and oestriol, and alpha-foetoprotein in patients with hydatidiform moles.

Human chorionic somatomammotrophin (HCS), progesterone, and unconjugated oestradiol and oestriol were measured in the plasma of 13 patients with intact hydatidiform moles from week 9 to 19 of pregnancy and in 89 normal women from week 5 to 20 of pregnancy. Plasma alpha-foetoprotein (AFP) was also measured in 9 out of 13 patients and in 23 of the normal women from week 13 to 20 of pregnancy. All the compounds were measured by radioimmunoassay. The plasma HCS concentration in 35 samples from 13 patients with hydatidiform moles ranged from 10 to 910 ng/ml; this was lower than that in normal pregnancy of corresponding duration in eight patients; within the normal range in four patients and high in one patient. The plasma progesterone concentration ranged from 17-5 to 79-2 ng/ml; it was higher than that in normal pregnancy in eight patients and within the normal range in five patients. The plasma unconjugated oestradiol concentration ranged from 1-82 to 8-10 ng/ml; it was higher than normal in six patients and within the normal range in seven patients. The plasma unconjugated oestriol concentration ranged from 0-168 to 1-37 ng/ml, the levels at 15-19 weeks of gestation being significantly lower than those in normal pregnancy at this time (P less than 0-005). Plasma AFP was not detectable in the nine patients (less than 10 ng/ml) whereas it ranged from 10 to 80 ng/ml in 18 out of 23 women in week 13-20 of normal pregnancy. The present results suggest that both plasma oestriol and AFP could be helpful in the diagnosis of hydatidiform mole at about 12-14 weeks though diagnosis could not be made with absolute certainty.