Sex chromosome composition of complete hydatidiform moles: relationship to metastasis.

OBJECTIVE

Complete hydatidiform moles have a substantial risk for subsequent development of persistent or metastatic gestational trophoblastic tumor. We evaluated the hypothesis that presence of a Y chromosome in a complete hydatidiform mole confers an increased risk for developing metastatic gestational trophoblastic tumor.

STUDY DESIGN

The polymerase chain reaction was applied to archival paraffin-embedded molar-tissue to identify Y chromosome-positive dispermic moles in patients who did or did not develop metastatic disease. To reduce the chances of analytic error, consensus polymerase chain reaction primers directed at homologous but different genes present on both X and Y chromosomes were used.

RESULTS

Y-chromosome sequences were identified in 7.7% (1/13) of the metastatic group and 9.1% (2/22) of the nonmetastatic group, a statistically insignificant difference.

CONCLUSION

We are unable to confirm any increased risk for metastasis in Y chromosome-positive compared with Y chromosome-negative complete hydatidiform mole.