Angiosarcomas - clinical profile, pathology and management

Files of 8 patients with primary angiosarcomas treated in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of the Witwatersrand from 1982 to 199 5 were identified. None of these patients had received prior radiotherapy o r chemotherapy which would have predisposed them to the formation of an ang iosarcoma. Slides of 6 patients were reviewed. Five of the 6 were confirmed as having angiosarcomas, while 1 patient was found to have a peripheral ne uro-epithelial tumour. Four patients had angiosarcomas of the breast; while there was 1 patient each with angiosarcoma of the skin, intestine and brai n. Complete excision was the primary modality of management whenever possib le. Postoperative radiotherapy was given in cases of incomplete excision, p atient refusal of radical surgery or gross tumour. Four patients died withi n 4 months of diagnosis. Three patients are alive (2 with no evidence of di sease) 22 - 96 months after diagnosis. In 1 patient follow-up details were not available as he did not return for treatment. Angiosarcomas are aggress ive malignant tumours arising from the endothelial cells. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice in the management of this aggressive d isease, which has a poor prognosis.