Lymphangiosarcoma is a rare

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

which occurs in long-standing cases of primary or secondary

lymphedema Lymphedema, also known as lymphoedema and lymphatic edema, is a condition of localized edema, swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system. The lymphatic system functions as a critical portion of the body's immune system and returns inters ...

(swelling due to

lymphatic system The lymphatic system, or lymphoid system, is an organ system in vertebrates that is part of the immune system and complementary to the circulatory system. It consists of a large network of lymphatic vessels, lymph nodes, lymphoid organs, lympha ...

obstruction). It involves either the upper or lower lymphedematous extremities but is most common in upper extremities. Although its name implies lymphatic origin, it is believed to arise from

endothelial cell The endothelium (: endothelia) is a single layer of squamous endothelial cells that line the interior surface of blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The endothelium forms an interface between circulating blood or lymph in the lumen and th ...

s and may be more accurately referred to as angiosarcoma.

Signs and symptoms

Lymphangiosarcoma may present as a purple discoloration or a tender skin nodule in the extremity, typically on the anterior surface. It progresses to an ulcer with crusting to an extensive necrotic focus involving the skin and subcutaneous tissue. It metastasizes quickly. Lymphangiosarcoma mostly occurs in the upper arm, forearm, elbow, and anterior chest wall. Furthermore, in post-mastectomy patients, lymphangiosarcoma is associated with sarcomatous degeneration, especially in patients who have survived five or more years and who have severe lymphedema.

Causes

It was previously a relatively common complication of the massive lymphedema of the arm which followed removal of axillary (arm pit) lymph nodes and lymphatic channels as part of the classical Halstedian radical mastectomy, as a treatment for breast cancer. The classical radical mastectomy was abandoned in most areas of the world in the late 1960s to early 1970s, being replaced by the much more conservative modified radical mastectomy and, more recently, by segmental breast tissue excision and radiation therapy. Because of this change in clinical practice lymphedema is now a rarity following breast cancer treatment—and post-mastectomy lymphangiosarcoma is now vanishingly rare. When it occurs following mastectomy it is known as

Stewart–Treves syndrome Stewart–Treves syndrome is a lymphangiosarcoma, a rare disorder marked by the presence of an angiosarcoma (a malignant tumor of blood or lymph vessels) in a person with chronic (long-term) lymphedema. Although it most commonly refers to Malignanc ...

. The pathogenesis of lymphangiosarcoma has not been resolved, however several vague mechanisms have been proposed. Stewart and Treves, proposed that a cancer causing agent is present in lymphedematous limbs. Schreiber ''et al.'' proposed that local immunodeficiency as a result of lymphedema results in a "immunologically privileged site" in which the sarcoma is able to develop.

Diagnosis

Treatment

The most successful treatment for lymphangiosarcoma is amputation of the affected limb if possible.

Chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

may be administered if there is evidence or suspicion of metastatic disease. Evidence supporting the effectiveness of chemotherapy is, in many cases, unclear due to a wide variety of prognostic factors and small sample size. However, there is some evidence to suggest that drugs such as paclitaxel, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and gemcitabineSher T, Hennessy BT, Valero V, Broglio K, Woodward WA, Trent J, Hunt KK, Hortobagyi GN, Gonzalez-Angulo AM.Primary angiosarcomas of the breast. Cancer. 2007 Jul 1;110(1):173–8. exhibit antitumor activity.

References

External links