ABSTRACT
Pregnancy involves two different organisms: the mother and a parabiosis of the fetus and the placenta, which may be regarded as an allotransplant half foreign to the mother, determined in part by the father’s genes. J. P. Gusdon postulates that the fetus is protected by a complex immunity mechanism not completely understood even today. The rapid spread of tumor cells in tumorous diseases is comparable to the rapid growth of the placenta; for this reason, the study of the immunology of pregnancy has long been an area of interest for tumor research. The trophoblastic diseases, benign and malignant chorionic tumors, originate from the placenta, which is a fetal appendage, and are caused by abnormal proliferation of the placental trophoblast cells. In consequence, the study of trophoblast tumors provides an outstanding opportunity for tumor research. Monitoring Human Chorionic Gonadotropin secretion in patients with trophoblastic tumors is a classic model of practical application of hormonal tumor markers.
