Study of molar pregnancy in adolescents at a tertiary referral center

• Grant number: 12/18786-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Maternal and Child Health
• Principal Investigator: Izildinha Maestá
• Grantee: Ekaterini Koutsantonis Pires
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FMB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Hydatidiform mole (HM) is a pregnancy complication characterized by varying degrees of trophoblastic proliferation. Though adolescents comprise a substantial proportion of patients with HM, it is not clear how young age influences the clinical presentation or the risk of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Objectives. To describe the clinical presentation of HM pregnancy in adolescents; to check whether there are differences in the risk of developing GTN between adult and adolescent populations, and to identify clinical factors that may predict the risk of developing postmolar GTN in adolescents. Methods. This nonconcurrent cohort study will include patients with HM who were evaluated at Botucatu Trophoblastic Diseases Center (São Paulo State University), between January/1990 and December/2011. Data will be collected from medical records and histopathological findings tissue molar. Patient life stage classified as adolescence (10-19 years) or adulthood (e 20 years) will be used as the predictive variable. Gestational age (in weeks), uterus size, vaginal bleeding, anemia, presence of theca-lutein cysts, hypermesis, preeclampsia, pre-evacuation serum hCG level, and HM histological type (partial or complete) will be considered as potential moderator/modifier variables. HM development into GTN will be the outcome variable. The analysis of moderator/modifier variables will include HM characteristics upon diagnosis. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for the risk of postmolar GTN will be determined in both adolescents and non-adolescents (< 20 years; e 20 years). Logistic regression will be used to identify the clinical factors associated with postmolar GTN development in adolescents. Differences will be considered significant when p <0.05.(AU)