RESUMO
Although the mortality rate of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has been decreasing over the last 30 years, there has been a significant increase in the frequency of diagnosis of this type of cancer in several countries. Beyond the classic prognostic factors, such as TNM stage, there is a lack of predictive factors for recurrence and treatment response. A retrospective analysis of patients with OPSCC treated at the Oncology Department of the Santa Terezinha University Hospital between 2007 and 2012 was performed, with the aim of identifying new prognostic factors. In addition to the significance of clinical stage as a prognostic factor for recurrence, OPSCC patients with advanced TNM stage and those treated with radiotherapy, chemoradiation or palliative measures, had a worse prognosis. Patients with moderate or severe weight loss (>5%) at diagnosis had a higher tumor recurrence rate compared with those with mild or no weight loss (P=0.007). Furthermore, 76.9% of patients with moderate or severe weight loss, as opposed to 13.3% of patients with mild or no weight loss, eventually succumbed to the disease (P=0.0001). These data suggest that moderate and severe weight loss at diagnosis is a prognostic factor for OPSCC and it is associated with disease recurrence.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Germ cell tumors are tumors composed of tissues derived from more than one of the three germinal layers. They are more common in the testes and ovaries, but can present in many different regions in the midline, including the sacral region, retroperitoneum, mediastinum, and brain. Testicular germ cell tumors generally metastasize to the retroperitoneum, lungs, and brain; metastases to soft tissue are very rare. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we describe a case of a single soft-tissue mass in the thigh of a 27-year-old man, with histology showing areas of mature teratoma tissues derived from the ectodermal and mesodermal lineages, and areas of immature teratoma tissue composed of small undifferentiated cells, with primitive neuroectodermal differentiation foci forming neuroepithelial elements - thus classified as immature teratoma. The patient had no other clinical or radiological evidence of involvement, besides the lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: The case presented suggests a rare and unexpected primary immature teratoma of the thigh.