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Previous studies have demonstrated that a low skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is an adverse factor for overall survival (OS) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, its association with the treatment response has not been extensively investigated. This study aimed to determine the association between low skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and treatment response in DLBCL patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 123 patients with DLBCL, in whom SMM was assessed using computed tomography before chemotherapy administration. The demographic characteristics of the patients with low SMM and those with normal SMM were not statistically different. However, there were notable differences in weight and BMI; patients with low SMM had a lower mean weight (59.2 vs 63, p  = 0.002) and a higher proportion of patients with normal BMI (61.5% vs. 21.1%, p  < 0.001). In addition, patients with low SMM were more likely to receive R-CHOP-like treatment (21.2% vs. 7%, p  = 0.022) and experienced more delays in administration (42.9% vs. 33.3%, p  = 0.452). Low SMM was not associated with failure to achieve CR (HR 1.9; 95% CI [0.9-4.1] p  = 0.84), but it was reported to risk OS in univariate analysis (HR 2.1; 95% CI [1.03-4.2], p  = 0.041). An interesting result was the interaction of low SMM with hypertension as a risk factor for not achieving CR (HR 2.7; 95% CI [1.1-6.5] p  = 0.034) or OS (HR 7.9; 95% CI [3.4-18.8] p  < 0.001). Low SMM was not a risk factor for achieving CR in patients with DLBCL and seemed to play a role in OS.

Introduction and Objectives: The most widely used staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the Barcelona Liver Clinic Cancer (BCLC) system, which considers tumor burden, performance status, and liver function. Tumor burden is assessed with cross sectional imaging of the abdomen and chest, controversy surrounds the routine use of bone scintigraphy (BS) for detecting extrahepatic metastases. This study evaluated the role of BS in staging HCC in Mexican patients., Patients and Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study of all adults with HCC at a Mexican referral center from 2000 to 2018. Staging included abdominal computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging, chest CT, and BS. The main outcome was the impact of BS on staging and/or therapy plans., Results: Among 238 patients, 2 with fibrolamellar variant and 44 with incomplete data were excluded. Median age was 66 years, 84 % had cirrhosis, and the predominant etiology was hepatitis C virus (43 %). BCLC stages were distributed as follows: A (14 %), B (7 %), C (68 %), and D (11 %). Extrahepatic disease was present in 18 %; only 8 % patients had a positive BS. Among the positive cases, 4 were true positives, but they did not alter staging or therapy plans., Conclusions: Routine BS in HCC staging demonstrated low yield, with a notable rate of false positives. Considering the implications of extrahepatic disease, BS may be justified for liver transplant candidates outside conventional criteria. Our study highlights the limited role of BS in early-stage HCC and advocates for a more selective utilization., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Fundación Clínica Médica Sur, A.C. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Subcapsular renal hematomas may appear spontaneously in patients in chronic hemodialysis, though other causes as neoplasms, vasculitis, and infections should be excluded. Patients may present with abdominal pain and hemorrhagic shock; hence, early diagnosis is vital. Nephrectomy or renal artery embolization are suitable treatment options., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Jorge Luis Bermudez-Gonzalez et al.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more frequently manifesting as one of the main complications of cirrhosis of the liver, its principal risk factor. There have been modifications in its incidence over the past decade, related to an epidemiologic transition in the etiology of cirrhosis, with a decrease in the prevalence of hepatitis C and an increase in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a cause, as well as the development of HCC in the non-cirrhotic liver due to NAFLD. Genetic markers associated with the disease have been identified, and surveillance and diagnosis have improved. Regarding treatment, surgical techniques, in both resection and transplantation, have advanced and radiologic techniques, at the curative stage of the disease, have enhanced survival in those patients. And finally, there have been radical changes in the systemic approach, with much more optimistic expectations, when compared with the options available a decade ago. Therefore, the Asociación Mexicana de Hepatología decided to carry out the Second Mexican Consensus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma, which is an updated review of the available national and international evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease, to offer the Mexican physician current information on the different topics regarding hepatocellular carcinoma. In this second part of the document, the topics related to the treatment of HCC are presented., (Copyright © 2022 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. All rights reserved.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is more frequently manifesting as one of the main complications of cirrhosis of the liver, its principal risk factor. There have been modifications in its incidence over the past decade, related to an epidemiologic transition in the etiology of cirrhosis, with a decrease in the prevalence of hepatitis C and an increase in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as a cause, as well as the development of HCC in the non-cirrhotic liver due to NAFLD. Genetic markers associated with the disease have been identified, and surveillance and diagnosis have improved. Regarding treatment, surgical techniques, in both resection and transplantation, have advanced and radiologic techniques, at the curative stage of the disease, have enhanced survival in those patients. And finally, there have been radical changes in the systemic approach, with much more optimistic expectations, when compared with the options available a decade ago. Therefore, the Asociación Mexicana de Hepatología decided to carry out the Second Mexican Consensus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma, which is an updated review of the available national and international evidence on the epidemiology, risk factors, surveillance, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease, to offer the Mexican physician current information on the different topics regarding hepatocellular carcinoma. In this first part of the document, the topics related to epidemiology and diagnosis are presented., (Copyright © 2022 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. All rights reserved.)