1/1108. Splenic hemangiosarcoma with massive calcification. We present a case of large splenic hemangiosarcoma in a 40-year-old man associated with consumptive coagulopathy. Computed tomography showed radial calcification within the splenic tumor. On magnetic resonance imaging, T2 shortening represented a meshwork of calcification and surrounding fibrosis. The possibility of hemangiosarcoma should be considered when a large splenic tumor with massive calcification is noted. ( info) |
2/1108. Angiosarcoma. A rare secondary malignancy after breast cancer treatment. life-saving mastectomy and radiation therapy are established in the treatment of early stage breast cancer. Angiosarcoma, i.e. malignant angioendothelioma, is a rare tumor which can develop after several years of such treatment. The number of post-operative and post-irradiation angiosarcomas has increased in recent years. We report four cases of angiosarcoma which occurred after treatment of breast cancer and review the literature. In two of these cases the angiosarcoma developed on the irradiated breast skin after partial mastectomy and radiation therapy, in the other two cases the angiosarcoma appeared on a chronically edematous arm after radical mastectomy and radiation therapy. ( info) |
3/1108. Vaginal epithelioid angiosarcoma. A case of epithelioid angiosarcoma of the vagina is described. Only five cases of angiosarcoma at this site have been reported, three of which followed radiotherapy for other gynaecological malignancies. None is described as an epithelioid angiosarcoma, an unusual and recently described variant which is readily confused with carcinoma. This is thought to be the first reported epithelioid angiosarcoma at this site and highlights the difficulties in diagnosis. ( info) |
4/1108. Primary hepatic angiosarcoma: report of a case involving environmental arsenic exposure. Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor with a rapidly fatal course. It has become a subject of interest because of its intimate relationship with environmental carcinogens, such as thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), vinyl chloride monomer, and arsenic. We describe a case of a chronic hepatitis b surface antigen carrier, with a 20-year history of environmental exposure to arsenical-containing agricultural herbicides and bactericides, who developed a hepatic angiosarcoma. He died due to rupture of the hepatic angiosarcoma with acute hemoperitoneum 9 weeks after initial diagnosis. This is a rare case of primary hepatic sarcoma, especially in taiwan where hepatocellular carcinoma is endemic. This case not only serves to give more evidence of the relationship between hepatic angiosarcoma and arsenical exposure, but also demonstrates the key point in the differential diagnosis of liver tumors. Increased familiarity with this disease will facilitate correct diagnosis and help to improve management of the condition in the future. ( info) |
5/1108. Intra-abdominal angiosarcomatosis after radiotherapy. BACKGROUND: We report a case of a 61-year-old Japanese woman who developed intra-abdominal angiosarcomatosis 20 years after receiving radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix. methods AND RESULTS: The surgically resected portion of the ileum showed diffuse proliferating angiosarcoma, with irregular channels lined by atypical vascular endothelial cells. Immunohistochemical studies showed that the tumour cells were positive for factor viii-related antigen and ulex europaeus agglutinin 1. At autopsy, the tumour had disseminated to the peritoneum and invaded into the right thoracic cavity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings were compatible with radiation-induced angiosarcomatosis. ( info) |
6/1108. Primary right atrial angiosarcoma mimicking acute pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, and tricuspid stenosis. A 29 year old white man presented to the emergency room with new onset pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. He was initially diagnosed as having viral pericarditis and was treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A few weeks later he developed recurrent chest pain with cough and haemoptysis. Chest radiography, cardiac examination, transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography pointed to a mass that arose from the posterior wall of the right atrium, not attached to the interatrial septum, which protruded into the lumen of the right atrium causing intermittent obstruction of inflow across the tricuspid valve. Contrast computed tomography of the chest showed a right atrial mass extending to the anterior chest wall. The lung fields were studded with numerous pulmonary nodules suggestive of metastases. A fine needle aspiration of the pulmonary nodule revealed histopathology consistent with spindle cell sarcoma thought to originate in the right atrium. Immunohistochemical stains confirmed that this was an angiosarcoma. There was no evidence of extracardiac origin of the tumour. The patient was treated with chemotherapy and radiation. This case highlights the clinical presentation, rapid and aggressive course of cardiac angiosarcomas, and the diagnostic modalities available for accurate diagnosis. ( info) |
7/1108. Angiosarcoma of the chest wall. Angiosarcoma is a rare and highly malignant tumor of vascular origin. The causative factors include trauma, radiation, foreign bodies, thorium dioxide, and viral infections. We report a case of angiosarcoma occurring in a thoracotomy incision 17 years after operation for stage I lung cancer. ( info) |
8/1108. Angiosarcoma of the breast following radiation therapy. breast carcinoma is increasingly treated by conservation therapy. This includes wide local excision and axilliary node clearance followed by radiotherapy to the remaining breast. Therapeutic irradiation may be complicated by several problems, including the development of other malignant tumours. We report a case of angiosarcoma occurring following such treatment and present a review of the literature. ( info) |
9/1108. Multifocal angiosarcoma of the scalp: a case report and review of the literature. Multifocal angiosarcoma of the scalp is uncommon. Its risk factors include a history of radiotherapy and possibly sun exposure. Angiosarcoma is an aggressive tumor with a high propensity for both local recurrence and distant metastasis. overall, the prognosis is poor. The size of the lesion is an important prognostic factor. Treatment modalities include surgery with wide margins (with or without adjuvant therapy) and multidrug chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy. The local failure rate is high. ( info) |
10/1108. Cutaneous angiosarcoma with thrombocytopenia. thrombocytopenia was observed in 3 patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp and face. A sudden decrease in the platelet count occurred in association with rapid enlargement of primary or metastatic lesions. Neither antiplatelet antibody nor platelet-associated IgG was detected. Increased serum levels of beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 indicated that platelets were destroyed and consumed within the vascular bed of the tumor. Prominent PECAM-1 expression on tumor cells may be involved in intratumoral platelet aggregation and consumption. We suggest that the sudden development of profund thrombocytopenia in patients with angiosarcoma may suggest either rapid growth of the primary tumor or herald the development of metastatic disease. ( info) |