Publication:

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast: a rare entity

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare form of breast cancer, accounting for only 0.04% of all malignant breast tumours. We report a 35-year-old woman who presented with a recurrent lump in the left breast for four months. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was suspicious of angiosarcoma and this diagnosis was confirmed on core needle biopsy. Modified radical mastectomy was performed as sole treatment. No chemo radiotherapy was given as tumor was grade I, margins were negative and there was no lymph node involvement. She is on regular follow up and no recurrence reported since the surgery. The 5-year disease-free survival for grade I tumours can be as high as 76%, and up to 70% for grade II tumours whereas for grade III tumours it is reportedly about 15%. Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare malignancy with a poor prognosis, even after complete resection. Surgery is the mainstay of treatment with a limited role for chemotherapy and radiotherapy.