A giant cord hemangioma with extramedullary hematopoiesis and elevated maternal serum human chorionic gonadotropin: a case report and review of the literature

A case of prenatally diagnosed, giant cord hemangioma is reported, which was accompanied by the elevation of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin (MS-hCG) levels. A 30-year-old woman without a previous history of gravida or para, presented with intermittent abdominal pain at 26 weeks of gestation. Doppler studies showed the fetus developing heart failure as the tumor grew larger. Caesarian section was performed at 29 weeks of gestation. Macroscopic examination of the placenta revealed a 17.0 × 10.0 × 7.0 cm tumor localized at the placental end of the umbilical cord. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of small arborizing vessels proliferating in the myxoid background, and the tumor cells were positive for AFP by immunohistochemistry. Extramedullary hematopoiesis was seen in the tumor vascular channels. The present case is one of the largest umbilical cord hemangiomas reported in the literature, and the first hemangioma case with MS-hCG elevation, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and positive AFP staining in the cord hemangioma. Its clinical course and detailed pathological findings are presented along with a review of the related literature.