Angiosarcoma of the Breast: Report of Case and Autopsy Findings

We report a case of angiosarcoma of the breast and the autopsy findings. The patient was a 35-year-old premenopausal woman who complained of a tumor in her left breast. We found a tumor measuring 55 mm in diameter in the lower external quadrant. The tumor was elastic and soft, smooth surfaced, well-difined and mobile. Dimpling sign or change of skin color were not observed. Clinically it was diagnosed as phyllodes tumor, but tumorectomy revealed primary angiosarcoma of the breast. Further extended surgery was recommended, but the patient refused additional therapy. Histological findings revealed a free surgical margin and neither lymph node metastasis nor distant metastasis were clinically observed. Seven months later, local recurrence in the same breast was recognized and finally radical mastectomy was carried out. Histological findings showed recurrence of angiosarcoma in the left breast but lymph node metastasis was not detected. Two months after mastectomy, metastases to the cervical and thoracic vertabrae were observed and radiatioon therapy was performed. Sixteen months from onset, she died due to multi-organ failure as general metastases of angiosarcome. At autopsy, metastases to many organs including the digestive system were observed. The incidence of primary angiosarcoma of the breast is low but its prognosis is poor. This case emphasized the diffculties in clinical diagnosis and treatment for the angiosarcoma of breast.