Secondary breast angiosarcoma following accelerated partial breast irradiation with intracavitary multicatheter applicator brachytherapy

Abstract

Purpose: Secondary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare complication of breast radiotherapy and is associated with a poor prognosis. There are many reported cases of secondary angiosarcoma following whole breast irradiation (WBI), however development of secondary angiosarcoma following brachytherapy-based accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is not as well characterized.

Methods and materials: We reviewed and reported a case of a patient who developed secondary angiosarcoma of the breast following intracavitary multicatheter applicator brachytherapy APBI.

Results: A 69-year-old female was originally diagnosed with T1N0M0 invasive ductal carcinoma of the left breast and treated with lumpectomy followed by adjuvant intracavitary multicatheter applicator brachytherapy APBI. Seven years following her treatment, she developed secondary angiosarcoma. However, the diagnosis of secondary angiosarcoma was delayed due to nonspecific imaging findings and a negative biopsy.

Conclusions: Our case highlights the need for secondary angiosarcoma to be considered in the differential diagnosis when patients present with symptoms such as breast ecchymosis and skin thickening following WBI or APBI. Prompt diagnosis and referral to a high-volume sarcoma treatment center for multidisciplinary evaluation is vital.

Keywords: Accelerated partial breast irradiation; Intracavitary multicatheter applicator brachytherapy; Secondary angiosarcoma.