Abstract
Background Angiosarcomas (AS) are rare vascular malignancies. They are subdivided into primary (PAS) and secondary angiosarcomas (SAS). The objective was to compare the characteristics of AS subtypes.MethodsEighteen PAS and ten SAS patients treated at our institution between 2004 and 2012 were included in this study.ResultsMedian age of PAS and SAS patients was 52.9 and 64.2 years, respectively (p = 0.1448). The percentage of women was 27.8% for PAS, but 80.0% for SAS (p = 0.0163). While PAS occurred throughout the body, the majority of SAS arose from the breast (p = 0.0012). All SAS were radiation-induced with a median latency of 7.7 years. The majority of patients with PAS and SAS underwent surgery as primary or recurrence treatment (p > 0.95). Local recurrence was developed by 27.8% of PAS and 50.0% of SAS (p = 0.4119). 61.1% of PAS metastasized, but only 40.0% of SAS (p = 0.4328). Median overall survival for PAS and SAS was 19 and 57 months, respectively (p = 0.2306).ConclusionRadical surgery remains the mainstay of both primary and recurrence treatment. SAS show a high local recurrence rate, while PAS tend towards developing early metastases. Overall, prognosis is poor for both groups.
Highlights
The majority of patients with primary AS (PAS) were represented by males (n = 13; 72.2%) while patients with secondary angiosarcomas (SAS) were dominated by females (n = 8; 80%)
While PAS developed de novo, all patients with SAS had a previous history of radiotherapy with a median dose of 56 Gy
PAS occur at different localizations in the body while the majority of SAS arise from the breast of female patients
Summary
They are subdivided into primary (PAS) and secondary angiosarcomas (SAS). Angiosarcomas (AS) are rare and aggressive malignancies representing about 2% of all adult soft tissue sarcomas [1]. They arise from endothelial cells of blood vessels or lymphatics either sporadically as primary neoplasms or secondary to chronic lymphedema or previous irradiation [2]. The latter constitutes an increasing complication following breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer [3, 4].
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