Angiosarcoma of the breast: a case report

Angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare and highly aggressive vascular cancer. Here we describe a case of a 36-year-old woman with angiosarcoma of the left breast who presented with breast enlargement and a bluish red discoloration in the overlying skin. The mammographic and sono-graphic findings were aspecific and due to the color doppler findings and the discoloration of the overlying skin, an angiosarcoma was suspected. A biopsy of the area identified at the color doppler sonography was performed and the histological examination showed the presence of a low-grade angiosarcoma. Systemic examinations (CT, total body bone scintigraphy) showed no evidence of metastasis. A left modified radical mastectomy was performed and pathological examination confirmed the presence of a grade I angiosarcoma. Immunohistochemistry showed that the neoplastic cells were positive for factor VIII, CD 31 and CD 34 confirming the tumor vascular origin. The patient presents no evidence of disease 3 years after surgery. Eur. J. Oncol., 14 (4), 217-221, 200