ReviewTherapeutic advances in reproductive health
A rational diagnostic approach to the "phantom hCG" and other clinical scenarios in which a patient is thought to be pregnant but is not.
Review in Therapeutic advances in reproductive health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Postmenopausal complete hydatidiform mole: A case report.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2026Article
- Choriocarcinoma at an Abdominal Wall Cesarean Scar: Recurrence After Multi-Line Chemotherapy and Exploration of Salvage Therapy.International journal of women's health · 2026Article
- Case Report: Familial hCG syndrome with elevated hCG level concurrently in blood and cerebrospinal fluid.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the relationships between beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) blood levels and pregnancy: A retrospective study.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- Correlation Between Serum and Urine β-hCG in Gestational Trophoblastic Neoplasia: A Step Toward Non-Invasive Disease Monitoring.International journal of women's health · 2025Article
- Analytical Investigation of the Profile of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Highly Purified Human Menopausal Gonadotrophin Preparations.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- False positive result of human chorionic gonadotropin caused by human anti-mouse antibodies.Biochemia medica · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The scenario in which a patient tests positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in the absence of pregnancy can pose a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. The term "phantom hCG" refers to persistently positive hCG levels on diagnostic testing in a nonpregnant patient and such results often lead to a false diagnosis of malignancy and subsequent inappropriate treatment with chemotherapy or hysterectomy. There remains a need for a consistent and rational diagnostic approach to the "phantom hCG." This article aims to review the different etiologies of positive serum hCG testing in nonpregnant subjects and concludes with a practical, stepwise diagnostic approach to assist clinicians encountering this clinical dilemma.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.