Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) refers to a group of abnormalities in which tumors grow inside a woman's uterus (womb). The abnormal cells start in the tissue that would normally become the placenta, the organ that develops during pregnancy to feed the fetus.
A baby may or may not develop during these types of pregnancies.
There are several types of GTD. They include:
See the individual articles for detailed information.
Berkowitz RS, Goldstein DP. Gestational trophoblastic diseases. In: Hoskins WJ, Perez CA, Young RC, Barakat RR, Markman M, Randall ME, eds. Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005:1055-1076.
Kavanagh JJ, Gershenson DM. Gestational Trophoblastic Disease: Hydatidiform Mole, Nonmetastatic and Metastatic Gestational Trophoblastic Tumor: Diagnosis and Management. In: Katz VL, Lentz GM, Lobo RA, Gershenson DM. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2007: chap. 35.