Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a group of rare tumors that involve abnormal growth of cells inside a woman's uterus. GTD does not ...Whatpatientsandcaregiversneedtoknowabout cancer,coronavirus,andCOVID-19.CloseCriticalAlertBannerSearch|Downloadthistopic[PDF]AboutGestationalTrophoblasticDiseaseWhatIsGestationalTrophoblasticDisease?WhatAretheKeyStatisticsAboutGestationalTrophoblasticDisease?What'sNewinGestationalTrophoblasticDiseaseResearchandTreatment?CancerA-ZGestationalTrophoblasticDiseaseAboutGestationalTrophoblasticDiseaseWhatIsGestationalTrophoblasticDisease?Tumors cangrowanywhereinthebodyandhappenwhen cellsinthebodybegintogrowoutofcontrol. Sometumorsmighthavecancercellswithinthem, andsomemightnot. Cellsinnearlyanypartofthebodycanbecomecancer,andcanspreadtootherareasofthebody.Tolearnmoreabouthowcancersstartandspread,seeWhatIsCancer?Gestationaltrophoblasticdisease(GTD)isagroupofraretumorsthatinvolveabnormalgrowthofcellsinsideawoman'suterus.GTDdoesnotdevelopfromcellsoftheuteruslikecervicalcancerorendometrial(uterinelining)cancerdo.Instead,thesetumorsstartinthecellsthatwouldnormallydevelopintotheplacentaduringpregnancy.(Thetermgestationalreferstopregnancy.)GTDbeginsinthelayerofcellscalledthetrophoblastthatnormallysurroundsanembryo.(Tropho-meansnutrition,and-blastmeansbudorearlydevelopmentalcell.)Earlyinnormaldevelopment,thecellsofthetrophoblastformtiny,finger-likeprojectionsknownasvilli.Thevilligrowintotheliningoftheuterus.Intime,thetrophoblastlayerdevelopsintotheplacenta,theorganthatprotectsandnourishesthegrowingfetus.YoumighthearGTDscalledgestationaltrophoblasticdisease,gestationaltrophoblastictumors,orgestationaltrophoblasticneoplasia.(neoplasiasimplymeansnewgrowth.MostGTDsarebenign(notcancer)andtheydon'tinvadedeeplyintobodytissuesorspreadtootherpartsofthebody.Butsomearemalignant(cancerous).AllformsofGTDcanbetreated.Andinmostcasesthetreatmentproducesacompletecure.TypesofgestationaltrophoblasticdiseaseThemaintypesofgestationaltrophoblasticdiseasesare: