RGD Reference Report - Human chorionic gonadotropin and free subunits' serum levels in patients with partial and complete hydatidiform moles. - Rat Genome Database
Serum levels of hCG and its free subunits were measured in patients with partial and complete hydatidiform moles and in women with normal 10-week pregnancies. whereas complete moles had higher levels of percent-free beta-hCG than partial moles (2.4 versus 1.0; P less than or equal to .005), partial moles had higher levels of percent-free alpha-hCG than complete moles (0.85 versus 0.17; P less than or equal to .005). Normal 10-week pregnancies had lower levels of both percent-free beta-hCG and percent-free alpha-hCG than partial moles (0.40 versus 1.0, P less than or equal to .005 and 0.27 versus 0.85, P less than or equal to .005, respectively). Percent-free beta-hCG and beta-hCG levels did not distinguish which patients with complete mole were more likely to develop persistent post-molar tumor. The trophoblastic cells in complete and partial moles differ significantly in the manner in which they secrete the free subunits of hCG.