Intra-Axial Metastatic Angiosarcoma of the Central Nervous System Associated with Anemia, Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Short Survival

Abstract

Introduction Angiosarcoma (AG) is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm that predominantly affects the soft tissues and, to variable degrees, expresses the morphological and functional characteristics of the endothelium. The incidence of sarcomas of the central nervous system (CNS) is low (0.5% to 2.7%), and AGs involving the brain are even rarer. Case Description A 45-year-old male patient presented with complaints of headache, nausea, and vomiting. An examination showed bilateral papilledema and a right lung pleurotomy. The patient's previous history included drug addiction, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung abscess, pleural empyema, and pulmonary artery embolization for severe hemoptysis. Computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging scans revealed a large intra-axial lesion extending into the right parietal and temporal lobes, with hemorrhagic zones. The patient underwent surgical resection of the lesion. Microscopy showed a poorly-differentiated, high-grade malignant tumor composed of plump/epithelioid cells forming small vascular spaces and solid nests, compatible with AG.In the postoperative period, the patient developed recurrent hemoptysis. A biopsy of the tissues adjacent to the pleurotomy determined the diagnosis of pulmonary AG. At 30 days after the resection, the patient died from hemoptysis, hemothorax, lung atelectasis, and intracranial hypertension related to the recurrence of the brain tumor. Conclusion Angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasia related to short survival due to the high proliferative index, which must be considered in patients presenting hemorrhagic tumors. No specific genetic abnormalities have been described for this neoplasia.

Keywords

• angiosarcoma
• brain sarcoma
• central nervous system
• pathology
• immunohistochemistry
• prognosis