Angiosarcoma of the lower limb misdiagnosed as deep thrombophlebitis – a review
Keywords:
Angiosarcoma of the lower limb, Deep Thrombophlebitis, LymphoedemaAbstract
Angiosarcomas are very rare sarcomas with vascular differentiation, high-grade malignant behaviour, early metastasis and generally bad prognosis. Early diagnosis is very important for adequate
radical ablative surgery in order to obtain a better prognosis. The
authors present a case of very aggressive angiosarcoma of the
leg, admitted in a very advanced stage with extensive metastases,
due to an initial misdiagnosis of deep venous thrombosis. The
patient died early during the period of evaluation. A review of
superficial types of angiosarcomas is presented, including the
clinico-pathological classification, characterizing its multifocal
aspects, frequent extensive metastases, diagnostic studies for
defining vascular tumours, early local recurrences after apparent
radical ablative surgery, and therapeutic modalities.
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