data_source: multiclinsum

ability: summarization

low_health_literacy: A 35-year-old woman had a lump on her cheek side (parotid gland) that grew over 2 years. At first, it looked like a slow-growing tumor, but later it got bigger and caused her face to droop. Doctors saw a hard, fixed lump that spread into nearby muscles. An MRI showed the lump was growing deep inside and had spread beyond the gland. She had surgery to remove the whole lump and nearby lymph nodes, keeping her facial nerve safe. Path tests confirmed it was a rare cancer called PNET, which often starts in nerves and has a special genetic change in 60% of the cells. After surgery, she got chemotherapy (four rounds of drugs: vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide) and then radiation to the area. Her body handled the treatment well, with only mild side effects. She checks in every 3 months with scans, and so far, no signs of cancer coming back.


intermediate_health_literacy: A 35-year-old woman developed a lump in her left parotid gland two years earlier. Initially, a small biopsy showed a non-cancerous mixed salivary gland tumor, and she had surgery that removed the mass completely. Six months later, a new, firm, painful lump appeared near the surgical site, and she began to lose movement on her left side—this is known as facial paralysis. An MRI scan showed a growing mass measuring 42 mm that had spread into nearby muscles and was not clearly defined. After further testing, doctors found it was a rare cancer called extra-skeletal Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of primary peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). This tumor has a specific genetic change (EWING/PNET-type translocation) found in 60% of the cells. She had surgery to remove the entire left parotid gland and nearby lymph nodes, with care taken to preserve her facial nerve. Following surgery, she received chemotherapy using a combination of drugs—vincristine, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, and etoposide—for four cycles, followed by external radiation therapy. The treatment was well tolerated, with only mild side effects like mouth sores and skin irritation. At 10 months after treatment, there was no sign of the cancer coming back locally or elsewhere in her body.