title: Undifferentiated sarcoma of the liver: a case study of an erythropoietin-secreting tumor.
abstract: Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is an uncommon hepatic tumor usually found in children, with rare cases reported in adults. We present a case of a 53-year-old woman with an undifferentiated sarcoma of the liver (USL), which resembles UESL, who initially presented with a markedly elevated hematocrit (61.2%). Cytogenetic studies for polycythemia vera were negative, but the patient's erythropoietin (EPO) was elevated. A computed tomography scan and subsequent partial hepatectomy revealed a well-circumscribed, partially cystic mass in the right lobe of the liver measuring 34 cm. Following surgery, the patient's EPO level and hematocrit dropped to within normal range and remained so for 1 year, at which point it rose again. A subsequent magnetic resonance imaging scan showed a liver mass at the previous resection margin, consistent with a recurrence. In this case study, we describe the first reported USL resembling an UESL that secretes EPO, which was a useful marker of tumor recurrence.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: JoAnn M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Twaddell
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA rcastellani@som.umaryland.edu.
authors.forename: Rudy J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Castellani
mesh_terms: D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin
keywords: embryonal sarcoma; erythropoietin; hepatic; undifferentiated sarcoma