RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (QoL) is a measure that allows us to know the patient's perception of well-being and how it is affected by their disease and treatments. In cancer patients, sarcopenia has been associated with low scores on various instruments used to assess the QoL; however, little information is available on the effects of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity on the QoL of patients with head and neck cancer (H&NC). METHODS: In this cross-sectional study with 71 H&NC patients aged between 40 and 80 years, we describe the scores on the instruments EORTC QLQ C-30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 according to the sarcopenia phenotype (NSG, nonsarcopenic group; SG, sarcopenic group; and SOG, sarcopenic obesity group), hand-grip strength, gait speed, total lymphocyte count, albumin, cholesterol and C-reactive protein, and the relationships between these variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity was 48% and 28%, respectively. The QoL analysis showed that NSG had higher scores on the physical functioning scale [NSG 93 (83-100); SG 73 (52-88); SOG 83 (53-93), P = .009] and lower scores on the fatigue scale [NSG 11 (0-22); S 39 (30-67); SOG 44 (14-56); P = .004]. The NSG had a higher hand-grip strength (31.1 kg) than SG (24.1 kg, P = .007) and SOG (26.3 kg, P = .001), and a lower C-reactive protein. The SG and SOG showed no differences between them. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity have lower physical performance and a higher level of fatigue than nonsarcopenic patients. This loss of function can maintain or worsen sarcopenia due to the patient's self-restraint in physical exertion that encourages an increase in muscle tissue.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare vascular malignancy that accounts for 2% of all hepatic primary tumours. The diagnosis is difficult, especially if the patient does not have history of exposure to carcinogens, which are considered as risk factors. The diagnosis is made by histopathology, but in a considerable percentage it can only be accomplished by autopsy. The performing of fine needle aspiration biopsy can lead to bleeding, with limitations in its use. CLINICAL CASE: A 41 year-old male, with no history of exposure to carcinogens, who developed abdominal pain secondary to a haemoperitoneum due to tumour rupture, was diagnosed by imaging methods with a giant cavernous hepatic haemangioma. He was initially treated with embolisation, and later with a liver transplant. After six months he developed haemoptysis secondary to lung metastasis. The autopsy reported metastatic hepatic angiosarcoma. DISCUSSION: This condition has been related to carcinogen exposure, with malignant transformation from a benign vascular neoplasia being proposed as a hypothesis. The differential diagnosis can be achieved with imaging studies such as CT scan, and the definitive diagnosis is made by histopathology with immunohistochemistry tests, with 35%-100% being made in the autopsy. CONCLUSION: Hepatic angiosarcoma is a malignant vascular neoplasia, the potential curative option is surgery with tumour free margins. Liver transplantation remains controversial because of its poor prognosis in the short term.
