Hemangiosarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm of vascular origin. It consists of atypical endothelial cells and undifferentiated sarcoma cells, proliferates rapidly, grows invasively and is associated with a poor prognosis.
Presentation
About 75% of HS arise in the skin or soft tissues, with other organs being affected as follows: liver, 6%; heart, 5%; bones, 4%; spleen 3% [2].
- According to a retrospective study conducted in Mexico [3], cutaneous HS most commonly develop in the following regions of the human body: scalp and neck (37%), trunk (24%), face (20%). In the same study, tumor sizes ranging from a few millimeters to more than 30 cm have been reported. HS typically manifest in form of multiple, reddish blue or purple papules. As the disease progresses, these papules augment in size, their surface may ulcerate and become increasingly prone to bleed. Most patients diagnosed with this type of HS have a medical history of cancer, often of breast cancer treated with radiation therapy or by means of mastectomy.
- HS affecting soft tissues or internal organs may cause pain and exert local mass effects. Further symptoms may develop due to HS interfering with organ function, e.g., hepatic HS may be associated with jaundice and lead to hepatic failure [4], while cardiac HS may cause dyspnea, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade [5] [6]. Spontaneous tumor rupture has repeatedly been described and may lead to anemia, thrombocytopenia, and coagulopathy, or hemorrhagic shock [7] [8].
Hematogenous spread is common, and metastases most frequently develop in the lungs. Accordingly, patients may present with signs of lung cancer.
Additionally, patients may claim constitutive symptoms like fatigue, fever, night sweats and weight loss. Hemolytic anemia may be observed [9] [10].
Entire Body System
- Lymphedema
This syndrome is an unusual form of angiosarcoma occuring as a complication of lymphedema. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
This typically appears as a complication of a long course lymphedema located on … [scholar.google.it]
Patients with long-standing lymphedema are at increased risk of developing angiosarcoma. [codes.iarc.fr]
We present a case of cutaneous angiosarcoma on the leg in an elderly woman in the setting of a chronic nonhealing wound and lymphedema. We also discuss the differential diagnosis and treatment options. [mdedge.com]
- Anemia
Thyroid hemangiosarcoma can metastasize to the bone marrow and anemia may be an indicator of the advanced disease. In the differential diagnosis of the anemia, bone marrow metastasis and bone marrow biopsy should be considered in suspected cases. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Splenectomy
Pathological aspects of splenic hemangiosarcoma and differences of prognosis between splenectomy performed before and after rupture are described. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
- Weakness
A 60-year-old man with primary splenic hemangiosarcoma (PSH) presented with weakness, weight loss, abdominal pain, and anemia. Physical examination revealed hepatomegaly, ascites, and firm, huge splenomegaly. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Dogs may wax and wane with signs of unexplained weakness, tiring more easily, and depression. Due to the slow growing nature of this disease, it is difficult to detect early, and so often dogs already have distant metastasis at time of diagnosis. [ccrod.cancer.gov]
After regular follow-up for 19 months, she was found to be suffering from progressive lower leg weakness. MRI showed multiple metastases to T-L spine (Figure 3B). [journals.lww.com]
In 1992 she developed lower extremity pain and weakness and was found to have spinal cord neuroma which was successfully removed. [breastlink.com]
- Disability
Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker [veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com]
A SHE has been defined as "an unnecessary disease, disability, or untimely death whose occurrence signals a failure of prevention" (3). [cdc.gov]
Respiratoric
- Sighing
[…] her joyful owner bursts out and Lily seems to emit a huge sigh of relief (right) Saved! Lily practically jumps for joy at the news that she is cancer free and will be around for a long time [dailymail.co.uk]
Cardiovascular
- Vascular Disease
Initial clinical diagnostic impressions included pericarditis, vasculitis due to a collagen vascular disease, interstitial pneumonia, sarcoidosis, and metastatic adenocarcinoma ( n = 13). [nature.com]
Skin
- Ulcer
We recently evaluated a patient with an angiosarcoma arising in a long-standing ulceration of his leg, which appeared representative of a characteristic, though fairly uncommon, subgroup of angiosarcomas. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
She had a history of multiple falls originally thought to be related to a chronic leg ulcer that had been managed with wound care. Recently, however, the lesion was noted to have increasing erythema surrounding the wound margins. [mdedge.com]
Face, Head & Neck
- Scalp Mass
In June 2008, more than seven months after the surgery, the patient was readmitted to the Department of Neurosurgery presenting with multiple scalp masses ( Fig. 2 ). This was diagnosed as a post-operative recurrence of the scalp angiosarcoma. [spandidos-publications.com]
Neurologic
- Excitement
[…] this' her owner tells her somberly But the miracle news that Lily is cancer free makes her practically dance Published: 04:14 BST, 16 August 2015 | Updated: 15:15 BST, 17 August 2015 One dog got some very good news and she couldn't help but show her excitement [dailymail.co.uk]
These and other compounds will likely be tested in 2005-2006 against many sarcomas, and there will be particular interest in seeing how people with angiosarcomas respond to this potentially very exciting group of anti-cancer drugs. [web.archive.org]
Workup
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and histopathological analysis of obtained specimens will reveal characteristic features. On the one hand, there are epithelioid cells lining small cavities that distantly resemble blood vessels. On the other hand, spindle-shaped sarcoma cells are present. They are generally arranged in strands and form the backbone of vessel-like structures. With regards to nuclei, aberrant mitotic figures are frequently observed [1]. There may be necrotic foci. Antibodies directed against vascular markers like CD31, CD34, and FLI1 may be used for immunohistochemical analyses to corroborate histological findings.
While this approach is feasible in case of superficial HS, a more extensive preparation is required to obtain tumor samples from other sites. Here, imaging techniques have to be applied first in order to confirm the presence of a local mass and to obtain information regarding its accessibility [11] [6].
Treatment
Our case stresses the importance of multimodality treatment in centers for cancer treatment. Histopathologic evaluation is essential in the diagnosis of epitheloid hemangioendothelioma. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Treatment and Follow-up for Metastatic Disease In the situation where the tumor is recurrent or metastatic, in some cases radiation or another surgical resection can be offered, but usually treatment consists of intravenous chemotherapy directed against [web.archive.org]
Even with aggressive treatment, most patients have a survival rate of approximately 6 months. [knowcancer.com]
Both of these patients had complete and durable responses to the treatment and remained without evidence of disease at the time of publication of this study. [ascopost.com]
Prognosis
Early splenectomy will improve prognosis and survival. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Etiology
BACKGROUND: The etiology of hemangiosarcoma remains incompletely understood. Its common occurrence in dogs suggests predisposing factors favor its development in this species. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Little is known about the disease' etiology, but patients suffering from chronic lymphedema as well as those who received radiation therapy are known to be predisposed for HS. [symptoma.com]
Etiology Most arise spontaneously, although hemochromatosis and neurofibromatosis type 1 have also been associated. [radiopaedia.org]
Epidemiology
Breast sarcoma: Epidemiology, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and staging. In Shah S, ed. UpToDate. Waltham, Mass.: UpToDate, 2021. https://www.uptodate.com. Last updated March 30, 2021. Accessed August 30, 2021. [cancer.org]
Angiosarcomas also can originate in the liver, breast, spleen, bone, or heart. [1, 2, 3, 4] Epidemiology Frequency United States Angiosarcomas are rare neoplasms. [emedicine.medscape.com]
Epidemiology They account for less than 1% of all sarcomas and are more frequently seen in males (M:F = 2:1) except when seen in the setting of post-mastectomy lymphedema which is clearly more common in women and is known as Stewart-Treves syndrome. [radiopaedia.org]
Pathophysiology
Moreover, the growth-factor environment of HSA is very similar to that of pathophysiological angiogenesis, which some homeobox genes regulate in the transcription of angiogenic molecules. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Pathophysiology Angiosarcomas arising at different sites and in different organs have some distinct features. Angiosarcomas may occur in any region of the body but are more frequent in skin and soft tissue. [emedicine.medscape.com]
The sequestration of platelets and local intravascular destruction of clotting factors28 both contribute to the pathophysiologic process of DIC, which has been well-described in the literature.28,29 Anaemia is another common finding in patients with HAS [emjreviews.com]
Prevention
The formation of vessel-like structures was blocked by nicotine, and restored by FK506, suggesting that 'nuclear factor of activated T cells' activity prevents differentiation of these cells. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
It may work by preventing the cancer cells from dividing and eventually cause the tumor cells to die similar to other drugs that target microtubules [clinicaltrials.gov]
These treatments can help prevent the tumor from coming back. Which combination of treatments is right for you depends on the unique characteristics of the tumor. [mskcc.org]
A SHE has been defined as "an unnecessary disease, disability, or untimely death whose occurrence signals a failure of prevention" (3). [cdc.gov]
Hence, surgical resection is preceded or followed by brachytherapy or external beam radiotherapy to prevent local recurrence. [omicsonline.org]
Summary
Hemangiosarcoma (HS) is a rare malignant neoplasm originating from mesenchymal tissue, namely from endothelial cells. This neoplasm is often described as a spongy tumor composed of dysfunctional blood vessel cells that are positioned together by undifferentiated sarcoma cells arranged in strands. The tumor is well supplied with blood. It differs largely from its benign counterpart, the hemangioma; HS generally affect the elderly, grow rapidly and invasively, and metastasize early. Hemangioma is typically diagnosed in neonates, grows slowly and resolves spontaneously.
HS primarily develop in the skin, in superficial or deep soft tissues, but they may also affect the liver, spleen, heart, or any other organ [1]. Little is known about the disease' etiology, but patients suffering from chronic lymphedema as well as those who received radiation therapy are known to be predisposed for HS [2]. It has been suggested that the growing number of patients exposed to therapeutic radiation accounts for the observed increase in HS incidence rates.
Of note, HS is a rather common diagnosis in veterinary medicine. Dogs are most frequently affected, but this tumor is also diagnosed in other species of domestic and wild animals. In order to avoid confusion between human and non-human HS, the term angiosarcoma is sometimes preferred for the disease of men. In any case, research concerning human HS is complicated by the low incidence of the disease. This does not apply to veterinary medicine and research; efforts made in this discipline may eventually allow the design of target-oriented studies in humans.
References
- Geller RL, Hookim K, Sullivan HC, Stuart LN, Edgar MA, Reid MD. Cytologic features of angiosarcoma: A review of 26 cases diagnosed on FNA. Cancer Cytopathol. 2016;124(9):659-668.
- Young RJ, Brown NJ, Reed MW, Hughes D, Woll PJ. Angiosarcoma. Lancet Oncol. 2010;11(10):983-991.
- Albores-Saavedra J, Schwartz AM, Henson DE, et al. Cutaneous angiosarcoma. Analysis of 434 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, 1973-2007. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2011;15(2):93-97.
- Abegunde AT, Aisien E, Mba B, Chennuri R, Sekosan M. Fulminant hepatic failure secondary to primary hepatic angiosarcoma. Case Rep Gastrointest Med. 2015;2015:869746.
- Ge Y, Ro JY, Kim D, et al. Clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of adult primary cardiac angiosarcomas: analysis of 10 cases. Ann Diagn Pathol. 2011;15(4):262-267.
- Patel SD, Peterson A, Bartczak A, et al. Primary cardiac angiosarcoma - a review. Med Sci Monit. 2014;20:103-109.
- Xu B, Xie X, Zhou X, Zhai M, Yang W. Spontaneous rupture of primary splenic angiosarcoma: A case report. Oncol Lett. 2015;10(5):3271-3273.
- Tang K, Shang QL, Zhou QC, Zhou JW, She XL, Zhang M. Primary cardiac angiosarcoma with spontaneous ruptures of the right atrium and right coronary artery. Echocardiography. 2013;30(6):E156-160.
- Dalal B, Al Riyami A, Yenson P. Microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and hyposplenism in angiosarcoma. Br J Haematol. 2010;151(5):413.
- Fong CY, Low M. An unusual case of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia resulting from metastatic angiosarcoma. Blood. 2013;122(1):7.
- Koyama T, Fletcher JG, Johnson CD, Kuo MS, Notohara K, Burgart LJ. Primary hepatic angiosarcoma: findings at CT and MR imaging. Radiology. 2002;222(3):667-673.