METASTATIC ANGIOSARCOMA OF THE SPLEEN AFTER ACCIDENTAL RADIATION EXPOSURE - A CASE-REPORT

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from endothelial cells of blood vessels or lymphatic channels. Therapeutic irradiation, thori umdioxide administration, pyothorax, and polyvinyl chloride exposure h ave been shown to be predisposing factors for developing angiosarcoma. Accidental radiation exposure has not been associated with angiosarco ma. We present an unusual case of angiosarcoma of the spleen, with met astases to bone, liver, breast, and bone marrow, in a woman who lived near the Chernobyl nuclear facility in the former Soviet Union at the time of the reactor accident in 1986. To the best of our knowledge, th is is the first report of metastatic angiosarcoma after accidental rad iation exposure.