Clinical features and treatment of ten patients with primary hepatic angiosarcoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and curative effect of primary hepatic angiosarcoma. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 10 patients with primary hepatic angiosarcoma who were treated in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from April 2012 to July 2018. There were 6 males and 4 females, with an average age of 55.1 (range 39.0 to 71.0) years. The clinical features, imaging findings, treatment methods and survival time of the patients were analyzed. Results The clinical manifestations of 10 patients with primary hepatic angiosarcoma were non-specific and all were confirmed by pathology. Three cases had diffuse liver echo changes on ultrasound, and 7 cases had hypoechoic lesions with blurred borders. Space occupying lesions were found in 10 cases by CT. A total of five patients underwent partial hepatectomy, 1 case received chemotherapy, 1 case received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), 2 case received molecular targeted therapy, and 1 case was untreated. From diagnosis to the last follow-up, the survival time of the 5 patients receiving surgical resection were 9 months, 15 months, 19 months, 21 months and 26 months. The survival time of the patient receiving chemotherapy was 7 months. The survival time of the patient receiving TACE was 3 months. Two patients were targeted for treatment, one survived for 32 months, another had been targeted for 15 months, and treatment was continuing. One patient survived for 1 month without treatment. Conclusions Primary hepatic angiosarcoma has a high degree of malignancy and a poor prognosis. No specific clinical manifestations and imaging findings, confirmed by pathological examination. Patients with partial hepatectomy have a better survival. Targeted therapy may be the most effective treatment for primary hepatic angiosarcoma in the future. Key words: Hemangiosarcoma; Liver; Diagnosis; Treatment outcome