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In women who have not become pregnant and in men, beta-hCG is not present or is present in minimal quantities. The increase in its plasma concentrations may be mainly related to the presence of some benign and malignant tumors of the ovary, testis and trophoblast.
Therefore, outside the gestational period, the blood dosage of beta-hCG provides an "indication" of the evolution of the neoplastic processes over time, also in relation to the therapies undertaken.
) is a glycoprotein with hormonal activity, typically associated with pregnancy: its dosage during gestation allows to evaluate the state of health of the pregnant woman and of the product of conception (first of the embryo, then of the fetus). Normally, the values of beta-hCG progressively increase in the maternal circulation in the first 8-10 weeks of pregnancy and then decrease and stabilize for the rest of gestation.
In addition to being an indicator of pregnancy, beta-hCG is also used as a tumor "marker", that is, it belongs to that group of substances that can be found in increased quantities in the blood, urine or other body fluids in the presence of some neoplastic processes.
For further information: Tumor Markers - What They Are and What They Are Used For
