A case report of primary breast angiosarcoma: An uncommon malignancy

TL;DR

This paper reports a rare case of breast angiosarcoma in a young lactating woman, emphasizing the challenges in diagnosis and the importance of surgery in treatment.

Contribution

The paper presents a unique clinical case of primary breast angiosarcoma in a lactating woman, highlighting diagnostic and therapeutic considerations.

Findings

The patient presented with a painless breast swelling and bluish skin discoloration, leading to a diagnosis of angiosarcoma.

Surgical excision was performed, and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis with no distant metastases found.

Radiotherapy was avoided due to the risk of recurrence or secondary angiosarcoma.

Abstract

Angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare and aggressive form of cancer that originates from vascular or lymphatic tissues, representing only 0.04% of malignant breast lesions. Variance in the clinical, pathological, and radiological presentations often leads to challenges in diagnosis. We present a case of a 32-year-old lactating female having a painless swelling in her right breast for 6 months, with a significant increase in size in 1 month. Clinical assessment indicated the presence of a mass at the superior edge of the areola, with associated bluish skin discoloration. Ultrasonography revealed a vascular lesion characterized by mixed echogenicity. A core biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma. Imaging studies, including computed tomography (CT) and bone scans, ruled out distant metastases. Subsequently, surgical excision was performed, and histopathological analysis reaffirmed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma. Radiotherapy was deemed unsuitable due to the potential risk of recurrence or radiation-induced secondary angiosarcoma. This case highlights the necessity of a multidisciplinary approach in optimizing diagnosis and treatment, with surgical excision playing a pivotal role in disease management.

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