Key result
A 47-year-old woman with primary breast angiosarcoma treated with modified radical mastectomy and adjuvant therapy experienced recurrence at 18 months and died of fatal pulmonary hemorrhage.
Case Report (n=1)
Primary breast angiosarcoma is a rare, highly aggressive malignancy that can be complicated by intractable thrombocytopenia and fatal pulmonary hemorrhage upon recurrence.
Fatal pulmonary hemorrhage can complicate recurrent breast angiosarcoma; single case leaves open optimal management strategies.
Primary angiosarcomas of the breast are rare malignancy that account for fewer than 0.04% of all malignant breast tumors. The prognosis is poor. Surgery is the first line of treatment for angiosarcoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been tried, but their efficacy remains controversial. Here we present the case of a 47-year-old woman with a palpable left breast mass that was diagnosed as a primary angiosarcoma. The patient underwent modified radical mastectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Postoperatively, eighteen months later, the angiosarcoma recurred. The patient returned complaining of dyspnea and hemoptysis and was found to have a large pleural effusion. She developed a gradual onset of thrombocytopenia that persisted despite platelet transfusions. Finally, the patient died of respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary hemorrhage.
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Kim et al. (2012) conducted a case report in Primary breast angiosarcoma (n=1). Modified radical mastectomy with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy was evaluated on Clinical course and survival. A 47-year-old woman with primary breast angiosarcoma treated with modified radical mastectomy and adjuvant therapy experienced recurrence at 18 months and died of fatal pulmonary hemorrhage.
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