Management of disseminated intravascular coagulation in a patient with hepatic angiosarcoma: A case report

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare endothelial cell tumor that may lead to concurrent consumptive coagulopathies including disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). This report details a multifaceted approach to managing DIC in a patient with advanced-stage hepatic angiosarcoma, which continued to progress after a brief response to taxane-based chemotherapy.

A 55-year-old man with a recent history of hemorrhoids and hemarthroses presented with acute rectal bleeding. He was found to have concurrent hepatomegaly, abnormal liver function tests, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy.

DIC in the setting of hepatic angiosarcoma.

The patient's acute bleeding in the setting of DIC was controlled with a combination of antifibrinolytic agents to prevent clot breakdown, heparin products to prevent deposition of new clot, and romiplostim to increase platelet production. His angiosarcoma was treated with various combinations of chemotherapy, including taxane-based chemotherapy, doxorubicin, and pazopanib.

The patient's DIC and acute bleeding on initial presentation improved following treatment with unfractionated heparin and low-molecular weight heparin maintenance therapy. It is unclear if the chemotherapy to treat the hepatic angiosarcoma played a significant role in the improvement of DIC.

Laboratory measurement of prothrombin fragment 1.2, a byproduct of prothrombin conversion to thrombin, proved to be a useful way to monitor this patient's DIC over time.