Abstract
Radiation-induced breast angiosarcoma is a severe but rare late complication in the breast-preserving management of breast cancer through surgery and radiotherapy [1]. Often the initial diagnosis of this entity is complex given its relatively anodyne nature and usually being present in the form of typically multifocal reddish-purple papular skin lesions [2]. Because of the low incidence of this tumour, there is a limited number of studies regarding its optimal therapeutic management [3]. The preferred treatment is aggressive surgical removal and the prognosis is poor with an overall survival rate of 12–20% at five years [4].
Highlights
In recent decades breast-preserving surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy has replaced mastectomy as the standard treatment of breast cancer in the initial stages [1]
Breast angiosarcomas following radiotherapy are a rare entity of which the incidence is estimated at 0.05% for all breast cancers [2], and its diagnostic criteria include a history of radiotherapy and a latency period of 5–10 years following radiotherapy [3]
The following outlines a clinical case of radiation-induced breast angiosarcoma encountered in our centre as well as a review of the literature regarding this type of tumour
Summary
In recent decades breast-preserving surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy has replaced mastectomy as the standard treatment of breast cancer in the initial stages [1]. A woman of 62 years of age came to our centre’s Breast Unit in December 2014 following the appearance of skin lesions in the lower quadrants of her left breast. Her medical history included arterial hypertension, procedures in both upper limbs for osteomyelitis, and the 2006 treatment for a medullary carcinoma in the left breast, stage IA, by lumpectomy and axillary dissection (tumour of 0.8 cm grade III, RE 20%, RP negative, Ki67 57% and CerbB2 2+ and negative lymph nodes), having required adjuvant radiotherapy afterwards, which had been administered without incident. The postoperative period occurred without incident and the patient was discharged 14 days after the procedure and is asymptomatic up until the time of this writing
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