Elevated human chorionic gonadotrophin without pregnancy: A case of gallbladder carcinoma

Abstract

We report a rare case of primary gallbladder adenocarcinoma producing human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in a 31-year-old woman. The patient was first misdiagnosed and monitored for an extra-uterine pregnancy. The most frequent cause of elevated serum HCG is pregnancy but elevated HCG can also be a marker of others pathologies like tumors. It is of utmost importance to keep in mind all the possible causes of elevated serum HCG. Once pregnancy has been ruled out, complementary exams should be performed to seek a tumor, especially since tumors producing HCG can be particularly aggressive.