Primary pleural angiosarcoma associated with pneumoconiosis: An autopsy case

Abstract

We report a case of pleural angiosarcoma in an adult male patient confirmed by autopsy and possibly associated with pneumoconiosis. The lesion was characterized by thickened pleura of both lungs with nodular tumors. Histologically, the tumor was composed of spindle-to-polygonal epithelioid cells that were positive for CD31, CD34, vimentin, and cytokeratin on immunohistochemical staining but were negative for calretinin. Further examination revealed mix-dust pathological findings consistent with the existence of pneumoconiosis; dystrophic ossification, anthracosis, and fractal small dust particles were observed in the lung parenchyma and a hilar lymph node. The current case suggests that pneumoconiosis-associated pathologies may be risk factors for the development of angiosarcoma in the pleura.

Keywords: autopsy; pleural angiosarcoma; pneumoconiosis.