[Pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma - rarity, diagnosis and treatment difficulties]. / Hemangioendotelioma epitelióide do pulmão - Raridade, dificuldades diagnósticas e terapêutica.

The authors report a case of a primary pulmonary epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) in a 51 year-old man, a mechanic, who complained of a dry cough followed by constitutional symptoms and dyspnoea. Patient underwent a series of diagnostic exams including surgical biopsy and pulmonary tuberculosis was diagnosed. He was prescribed tuberculosis drugs for three weeks. Following clinical and imagiology deterioration, the case was reviewed by pathologists who concluded the pulmonary biopsy revealed an intermediate/high grade pulmonary EHE/angiosarcoma. The patient underwent three cycles of chemotherapy with carboplatin, etoposide and bevacizumab with no complications. He died seven months after onset of symptoms and seven weeks after definitive diagnosis. The authors wish to highlight the rarity of this pulmonary neoplasm and the importance of clinical suspicion, and the diagnosis and treatment difficulties in addition to the potential benefits of antiangiogenic drugs.

Erlotinib: A successful clinical case and some notes about hepatic toxicity. / Erlotinib: Um caso clínico de sucesso e algumas notas sobre a toxicidade hepática.

A case of a woman with lung adenocarcinoma in which fifteen-month disease control was achieved with second-line erlotinib treatment is presented. Five months after treatment beginning, isolated grade 3 hyperbilirubinemia occurred and daily dose was reduced to 100mg. Comments on erlotinib hepatic toxicity and the pharmacologic interactions on erlotinib metabolism are given. Rev Port Pneumol 2008; XIV (Supl 3): S29-S34.

[Oncologic pain]. / Dor oncológica.

Pain can be defined by several ways, but is usually describes as an unpleasant sensorial or emotional experience related to real or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. The cancer patient may experience pain related to the cancer itself, its treatment or not related at all with the oncologic disease. It has an extreme importance to the patient, as it is interpreted as a worsening of the prognosis or near death. Therefore it is extremely important a correct approach and treatment of cancer pain. Pain can be treated by pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic means and by more invasive procedures. The options for pharmacologic treatment are various, since nonopioid, opioid analgesics and co-analgesics. The authors present a review of the pharmacological treatment of cancer pain and alert to the importance of the recognition of pain as an illness and the possibility to be relieved.

[Anemia associated with malignancy]. / Anemia no doente oncológico.

In this paper the authors reviews the anaemia in cancer patients, its mechanisms, diagnosis, and therapeutics, especially the indications for blood transfusion and the use of recombinant human erythropoietin. Also, the author reviews the impact of anaemia in quality of life and in the outcome of therapy and of cancer itself.