Angiosarcoma: Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment

Angiosarcoma is a rare kind of cancer that appears in the lining of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The lymph vessels are a part of the immune system. The lymph vessels rid the body of germs, viruses, and waste products.

This type of cancer can affect any part of the body. Nonetheless, it typically affects the neck and head skin. Rarely, it may appear on the skin of the breasts or other body parts. On the other hand, it might form in deeper tissues such as the heart and liver. Angiosarcoma may appear in areas where radiation therapy has already been administered.

The treatment plan is based on the location of the cancer. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery are possible forms of treatment.

Causes Of Angiosarcoma

The etiology of most angiosarcomas is unknown. Researchers have identified factors that may increase the risk of the disease.

Angiosarcoma arises from mutations in the DNA of blood or lymph artery lining cells. A cell's DNA contains instructions that tell it what to do. The changes, which scientists refer to as mutations, give the cells instructions to multiply quickly. The changes allow the cells to survive when they otherwise would have died.

Consequently, cancer cells proliferate and acquire the capacity to disperse outside blood or lymphatic channels. Cancer cells can penetrate and kill healthy human tissue. Over time, cancer cells may divide and spread to different areas of the body.

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Symptoms Of Angiosarcoma

Depending on where the cancer is located, angiosarcoma might present with different signs and symptoms.

Most frequently, angiosarcoma affects the skin on the head and neck. Usually, it affects the scalp. Symptoms of this kind of angiosarcoma include:

• A raised area of skin, such as a bruise
• An injury that looks like a bruise and grows larger over time
• A cut that, if scraped or touched, could bleed edema around the internal organ lesion that is causing angiosarcoma

When angiosarcoma affects important organs like the liver or heart, it often causes discomfort. There can be other symptoms depending on the location of the angiosarcoma.

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Risk Factors Of Angiosarcoma

Angiosarcoma risk factors include the following:

• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy for cancer or other diseases may increase the chance of angiosarcoma. Angiosarcoma is a rare adverse effect of radiation therapy.
• Edema resulting from lymph vessel damage: Swelling resulting from an accumulation of lymph fluid is referred to as lymphedema. It happens when there is damage or obstruction to the lymphatic system. Lymphedema may occur following the removal of lymph nodes during surgery. This is commonly done along with cancer surgery. Infections and other illnesses may also cause lymphedema.
• Chemical substances: Liver angiosarcoma has been linked to exposure to several chemicals. Examples of these chemicals are vinyl chloride and arsenic.
• Genetically inherited syndromes: Certain genetic defects that certain people may inherit at birth may raise the risk of angiosarcoma. Examples include the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations that cause Maffucci syndrome, Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome, and neurofibromatosis.

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Diagnosis Of Angiosarcoma

The diagnosis of angiosarcoma is made using the tests and methods listed below:

• Physical assessment: Your healthcare provider will examine you thoroughly to assess your condition.
• Removing a sample of tissue for examination: Your healthcare professional may remove a sample of suspicious tissue for laboratory analysis. This procedure is known as a biopsy. Lab tests can identify cancerous cells. Through specialized testing, your doctor might be able to discover more about the cancer cells.
• Imaging tests: Imaging tests might help your physician assess the cancer's extent. MRI, CT, and PET scans are examples of potential test kinds. Your situation will dictate which tests you take.

Also Read: Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma (UPS): Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, Diagnosis and Treatment

Treatment Of Angiosarcoma

The best course of action for your angiosarcoma will depend on your particular circumstances. Your healthcare team considers the location, size, and degree of the cancer's metastasis to other body parts.

Options for a potential treatment plan include:

• Surgery: The goal of the procedure is to remove the angiosarcoma in its entirety. Your surgeon will remove the malignancy and some good tissue surrounding it. Not every situation calls for surgery. This could happen if the cancer is extensive or has spread to other places of the body.
• Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams, such as protons and X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is sometimes used to kill any cancer cells that may have persisted after surgery. Radiation therapy may be a possibility for you if surgery is not an option.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a medical treatment that uses chemicals or drugs to target cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be considered if the angiosarcoma has spread to other body parts. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may occasionally be used in combination if surgery is not an option for you.
• Pharmaceutical therapy with a targeted objective: Targeted medication treatments focus on specific chemicals present in cancer cells. Certain drug regimens that block these chemicals can kill cancer cells. If the malignancy is targeted, there may be a chance to treat angiosarcoma with those medications.
• Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy stimulates the immune system to combat cancer. The immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells manufacture proteins that assist them in hiding from immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by getting in the way of that process. An effective treatment for advanced angiosarcoma might be immunotherapy.

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