Antonella La Brocca, Paolino De Marco, Kerengi Kabhuli, Giovanna Rizzo, Anna Trapani, Gabriele Barletta, Antonio Giulio Giannone, Ada Maria Florena, Gabriella Militello, Gaspare Gulotta and Sebastiano Bonventre
Mammary angiosarcoma (AS) is an aggressive vascular tumor. It may appear de novo (primary angiosarcoma) or as a complication of radiotherapy (radiation-induced AS) or chronic lymphedema (Stewart-Treves syndrome). Our attention in this case study is focused on radiationinduced breast AS, a rare but severe long-term complication in the breast-preserving management of breast cancer, treated with breast-conserving surgery and radiotherapy. Contrary to what occurs in primary AS of the breast, which usually appears in women aged 30-50 years, radiation-induced breast AS affects older women (with a median age of 67-71 years) about 10.5 years after radiotherapy as treatment of primary breast cancer (the median onset latency varies from 5-10 years). The former is localized in the parenchyma, the latter in dermal and subcutaneous layers of the skin of radiated fields. The prognosis is poor with a high rate of relapse and an increased tendency to metastasis.
