Primary hepatic angiosarcoma and potential treatment options

Abstract

Angiosarcomas account for a mere 2-3% of adult soft tissue sarcomas, with an overall poor outcome. Depending on the primary site, angiosarcomas have distinct prognosis. Primary hepatic angiosarcomas (PHAs) are much rare tumors, with worse prognosis compared with other angiosarcomas. PHA is reported to be associated with vinyl chloride, but the majority of patients were still with unknown etiology. As PHA lacks specific symptoms, signs, or images, pathological diagnosis is necessary. The review summarizes 25 articles published from January 2000 to December 2012, including 64 cases of PHA with detailed information. Survival curves are estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method by SPSS 21.0. We find that the median survival time is 5 months; local excision alone or combination with adjuvant therapy is the optimal choice, with median survival time of 17 months. In addition, liver transplant is abandoned for high recurrence rate; emergent transcatheter arterial embolization is thought to be an efficient method for controlling intra-abdominal bleeding; and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and chemotherapy may be helpful in improving survival.

Keywords: case report; intra-abdominal bleeding; local excision; primary hepatic angiosarcomas.