Angiosarcoma of the breast: a rare clinicopathological entity

Angiosarcoma is a rare subtype of sarcoma that usually arises after radiation therapy for primary breast cancer. Primary sarcomas of the breast are rare entities and account for less than 1% of all malignant breast neoplasms. We examine our institutional experience with angiosarcomas of the breast that were diagnosed and treated between 1996 and 2007.

To conduct a retrospective review, all female patients with a diagnosis of angiosarcoma of the breast were identified from our pathology database. Their hospital records were retrieved to gather information on treatment, tumor response, failure, and survival.

A total of 8 patients were identified who had a histologically confirmed diagnosis of angiosarcoma of the breast. Median age was 70.3 years at diagnosis (range, 35.6-85.7 years). Seven (87%) patients had a history of prior radiation to the breast, whereas 1 (13%) had primary angiosarcoma. The median overall survival was 37.4 months (8.7-92.8 months) and relapse-free survival was 17.9 months (2.5-69.4 months).

Even though angiosarcomas are rare neoplasms, they are increasingly recognized as the result of more breast-conserving therapy. High clinical suspicion and MRI may contribute to early diagnosis but a biopsy is always necessary to confirm it. These tumors tend to behave aggressively and require a multidisciplinary approach to improve the outcome.