Gestational Trophoblastic Disease Treatment

MD Anderson’s experts have access to the most-advanced technologies and therapies available today. Our doctors use these with extraordinary expertise to give you personalized treatment for gestational trophoblastic disease.

GTD is often curable, especially when found early.  Even advanced disease is often curable when treated appropriately. This shows the importance of seeing an expert in GTD as soon as possible after diagnosis. Patients may have concerns about whether treatment may affect their sexual function and ability to have children. You should talk with your health care team about these topics before treatment begins.

Your customized treatment for gestational trophoblastic disease will be determined by your care team and based on several factors. These can include:

• Your age when the diagnosis is made
• Whether the disease occurred after a molar pregnancy, miscarriage, or normal pregnancy
• How soon the tumor was diagnosed after the pregnancy began
• The level of beta human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the blood
• The stage of the disease
• Your overall health and medical history
• Whether you want to become pregnant in the future

The main treatments for gestational trophoblastic disease are surgery and/or chemotherapy. Your care plan may also include treatment for symptoms and side effects. The three standard types of treatment for gestational trophoblastic disease are:

Surgery

• Hysterectomy: The uterus (and sometimes the cervix) is removed. Nearby lymph nodes and part of the vagina may also be removed.
• Dilatation and curettage (D&C) with suction evacuation: The cervix is dilated and tissue inside the uterus is removed with a small vacuum-like device. The uterine walls are then gently scraped with a spoon-shaped instrument to remove any material that may remain in the uterus.

Learn more about surgery.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, control their growth or relieve disease-related symptoms. Chemotherapy may involve a single drug or a combination of two or more drugs, depending on the type of cancer, its stage, and how fast it is growing.

Learn more about chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses powerful, focused beams of energy to kill cancer cells. There are several different radiation therapy techniques. Doctors can use these to accurately target a tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. While rarely used in GTN, radiation therapy may be used in specific circumstances.

 Learn more about radiation therapy.