Angiosarcomas
7,611views
00:00 / 00:00
Videos
Notes
Angiosarcomas
Pathology
Vascular disorders
Arterial disease
Angina pectoris
Stable angina
Unstable angina
Myocardial infarction
Prinzmetal angina
Coronary steal syndrome
Peripheral artery disease
Subclavian steal syndrome
Aneurysms
Aortic dissection
Vasculitis
Behcet's disease
Kawasaki disease
Hypertension
Hypertensive emergency
Renal artery stenosis
Coarctation of the aorta
Cushing syndrome
Conn syndrome
Pheochromocytoma
Polycystic kidney disease
Hypotension
Orthostatic hypotension
Abetalipoproteinemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Hypertriglyceridemia
Hyperlipidemia
Chronic venous insufficiency
Thrombophlebitis
Deep vein thrombosis
Lymphedema
Lymphangioma
Shock
Vascular tumors
Human herpesvirus 8 (Kaposi sarcoma)
Angiosarcomas
Congenital heart defects
Truncus arteriosus
Transposition of the great vessels
Total anomalous pulmonary venous return
Tetralogy of Fallot
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
Patent ductus arteriosus
Ventricular septal defect
Coarctation of the aorta
Atrial septal defect
Cardiac arrhythmias
Atrial flutter
Atrial fibrillation
Premature atrial contraction
Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT)
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Ventricular tachycardia
Brugada syndrome
Premature ventricular contraction
Long QT syndrome and Torsade de pointes
Ventricular fibrillation
Atrioventricular block
Bundle branch block
Pulseless electrical activity
Valvular disorders
Tricuspid valve disease
Pulmonary valve disease
Mitral valve disease
Aortic valve disease
Cardiomyopathies
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Heart failure
Heart failure
Cor pulmonale
Cardiac infections
Endocarditis
Myocarditis
Rheumatic heart disease
Pericardial disorders
Pericarditis and pericardial effusion
Cardiac tamponade
Dressler syndrome
Cardiac tumors
Cardiac tumors
Cardiovascular system pathology review
Acyanotic congenital heart defects: Pathology review
Cyanotic congenital heart defects: Pathology review
Atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Pathology review
Peripheral artery disease: Pathology review
Valvular heart disease: Pathology review
Cardiomyopathies: Pathology review
Heart failure: Pathology review
Supraventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Ventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Heart blocks: Pathology review
Aortic dissections and aneurysms: Pathology review
Pericardial disease: Pathology review
Endocarditis: Pathology review
Hypertension: Pathology review
Shock: Pathology review
Vasculitis: Pathology review
Cardiac and vascular tumors: Pathology review
Dyslipidemias: Pathology review
Assessments
Angiosarcomas
Flashcards
0 / 12 complete
USMLE® Step 1 questions
0 / 1 complete
High Yield Notes
5 pages
Flashcards
Angiosarcomas
of complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 1 style questions USMLE
of complete
External Links
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Rishi Desai, MD, MPHContributors
Marisa Pedron
Tanner Marshall, MS
In angiosarcoma, -sarcoma refers to a malignant tumor, and angio- refers to a blood vessel or a lymphatic vessel. So angiosarcoma is a cancer of either a blood vessel, in which case it’s called a hemangiosarcoma, or a cancer of a lymphatic vessel, in which case it’s called a lymphangiosarcoma. Both arise from the inner lining of the vessel wall, known as endothelium.
Angiosarcomas form when endothelial cells suddenly start proliferating abnormally. If these masses grow inside the blood vessel lumen, they can obstruct the blood flow, and that interferes with the oxygen and nutrient supply to various tissues, and can eventually result in tissue ischemia. If lymph flow is obstructed, lymph fluid backs up in the tissues, causing lymphedema.
Cancer cells from hemangiosarcomas and lymphangiosarcomas can also invade the vessel wall, destroying it and making it burst, leading to bleeding or lymph fluid outflow in the surrounding tissue. In general, these cancer cells multiply rapidly and can be easily carried by blood flow or lymphatic flow to far-off sites within the body, particularly the lungs, where they form a new, metastatic tumor or tumors. Because of this, angiosarcoma is considered to be a particularly aggressive type of cancer.
Angiosarcomas can occur anywhere in the body, but most often develop within the skin, bone, soft tissue, breast, or liver, and often spread from those locations to the lungs. Angiosarcoma of the skin usually shows up on the head or neck as a raised, purplish skin area that looks like a bruise that doesn’t heal; it may bleed, be painful, or be accompanied by swelling of the skin surrounding the affected area. Angiosarcoma of the bone is usually multifocal, meaning it affects multiple sites within the same bone, or involves multiple bones of the same limb.
Summary
Angiosarcomas are rare and aggressive cancers that can develop from lymphatic or vascular endothelial cells. They can occur anywhere in the body, but most commonly arise in the scalp, breast, and chest. These tumors are often hard to diagnose early because they can mimic other more benign conditions.
Sources
- "Robbins Basic Pathology" Elsevier (2017)
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Twentieth Edition (Vol.1 & Vol.2)" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine 8E" McGraw-Hill Education / Medical (2018)
- "Angiosarcoma: clinical and imaging features from head to toe" The British Journal of Radiology (2017)
- "Angiosarcoma" The Lancet Oncology (2010)
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier, except certain content provided by third parties
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
