Infantile choriocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare, highly malignant form of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment are paramount in reaching a successful outcome. Patients with these tumors typically present with a triad of anemia, hepatomegaly, and precocious puberty. Cutaneous manifestations of ICC are extraordinarily rare with few documented cases. Here, we describe a male neonate who presented to our Dermatology clinic with a rapidly growing, markedly vascular glabellar mass associated with abnormal laboratory values suggestive of Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon. The initial clinical impression of infantile hemangioma led to an initial treatment with propranolol. However, the mass continued to enlarge and a biopsy was obtained. Histology revealed a high-grade, poorly differentiated carcinoma. A robust immunohistochemical battery demonstrated tumor reactivity with Glut-1, GATA3, Glypican-3, CAM5.2, and β-hCG establishing the diagnosis of metastatic choriocarcinoma. The diagnosis was further supported by the elevated serum β-hCG. In addition to the glabellar mass, imaging demonstrated tumor foci in the liver and lung. Clinical investigation of the mother revealed no evidence of disease.
Keywords: clinical neonatology; dermatopathology; immunohistochemistry; liver; pediatric; placenta; soft tissue tumors; surgical pathology.