What is the survival rate for angiosarcoma?
Due to its high aggressiveness and multifocality, the prognosis of angiosarcoma is poor, with a reported five-year survival rate of ~35% in non-metastatic angiosarcoma cases (1,4,6). The majority of cases of recurrence (75%) occur within 24 months of local treatment (1).
What is angiosarcoma of the lung?
Angiosarcoma of the lung is a rare tumor that most often presents as metastatic disease. Primary pulmonary angiosarcoma is rarely reported. Because of the rarity of this disease, our understanding of primary pulmonary angiosarcoma is limited.
What is metastatic angiosarcoma?
Angiosarcoma (AS) is an uncommon malignant neoplasm characterized by rapidly proliferating, extensively infiltrating anaplastic cells derived from blood vessels. These are aggressive tumors and tend to recur locally, spread widely with high rate of lymph node and systemic metastases.
What does angiosarcoma do to the body?
Angiosarcoma is cancer that forms in the lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels. It often affects the skin and may appear as a bruise-like lesion that grows over time.
What is a high grade angiosarcoma?
A definite diagnosis is made with a biopsy procedure, where a small piece of the tumor is removed from the body and looked at under a microscope by a pathologist. Most angiosarcomas are high grade tumors that are aggressive and fast-growing, but some are low-grade tumors that are less aggressive and slow-growing.
Is angiosarcoma fast-growing?
Angiosarcoma is a fast-growing cancer, so your doctors will treat it aggressively. Surgery: Doctors will remove as much of the angiosarcoma as possible with surgery but sometimes it is not possible due to the location.
Are there any cases of angiosarcoma in the lung?
Angiosarcoma involving the lung, usually a result of metastatic disease, is a rare disorder with less than 100 cases reported in the literature. Primary angiosarcoma of the lung is an extremely rare tumor with only eight cases documented thus far. 1 2 3 4 5 6 As many descriptions are only case reports,…
What are the radiographic signs of metastatic angiosarcoma?
Metastatic pulmonary angiosarcoma exhibits a variety of radiographic appearances. Chest radiography shows bilateral peripheral solid nodules that are often accompanied by infiltrates, pneumothorax, and pleural effusions [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
How is chest CT used to diagnose angiosarcoma?
Computed Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Computed tomography (CT) of the chest demonstrated nodules that proved to be metastatic angiosarcoma in all three patients in whom it was performed. In one case, chest CT clarified chest radiograph by demonstrating a 2-cm mass in an area of a nodular apical infiltrate.
Where does an angiosarcoma usually originate in the body?
Angiosarcoma seems to have a predilection for the skin in either the head or the neck. However, the tumor less commonly originates from the deep soft tissue. Angiosarcomas, regardless of their sites of origin, are particularly likely to metastasize to the lung.