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Hydatidiform mole
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A hydatidiform mole, also called a molar pregnancy, begins in the trophoblast, the cells that normally help an embryo attach to the uterus and form the placenta. Instead of organizing into a normal placenta, the tissue becomes a tumor filled with many small, fluid-filled sacs, almost like bubbles within the tissue.
Most hydatidiform moles are benign. Some can invade nearby tissue, and some may become choriocarcinoma, but that change is not automatic.
In brief
A hydatidiform mole is a gestational tumor that develops from trophoblastic cells after fertilization. These cells normally help the embryo attach to the uterus and contribute to the placenta. In a hydatidiform mole, the tissue contains numerous fluid-filled cysts.
Most hydatidiform moles are benign, meaning noncancerous, but some can invade nearby tissue and some may develop into a malignant tumor called choriocarcinoma. That possibility is why a hydatidiform mole is neither a normal placenta nor an inevitable cancer.
Sources (1)
- National Cancer Institute, NIHDefinition of hydatidiform mole
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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