Beta-HCG


cho·ri·on·ic go·nad·o·tro·pin (CG),

a glycoprotein with a carbohydrate fraction composed of d-galactose and hexosamine, extracted from the urine of pregnant women and produced by the placental trophoblastic cells; its most important role appears to be stimulation, during the first trimester, of ovarian secretion of the estrogen and progesterone required for the integrity of conceptus; it appears to play no significant role in the last two trimesters of pregnancy, as the estrogen and progesterone are then formed by the placenta. CG has luteinizing hormone activity and exerts its actions through luteinizing hormone receptors. Synonym(s): β-HCG, choriogonadotropin, chorionic gonadotropic hormone, chorionic gonadotrophic hormone, placenta gonadotropin, placentagonadotropin

Beta-HCG (Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin)

A tumor marker associated with testicular cancer and tumors, such as choriocarcinoma and molar pregnancies, that begin in placental cells called trophoblasts.Mentioned in: Tumor Markers