title: Duodenal angiosarcoma: an unusual cause of severe gastrointestinal bleeding.
abstract: Angiosarcoma is a rare soft-tissue neoplasm that occurs most often in the skin and the subcutaneous tissues but very rarely in the gastrointestinal tract. We report a case of primary intestinal angiosarcoma with severe gastrointestinal bleeding. This patient was referred to our institute for shock with tarry-bloody stool and severe anemia. Panendoscopy revealed multiple duodenal polypoid tumors, and initial biopsy specimen showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The tumors were treated with pancreaticoduodenectomy, but the patient died 2 weeks after the operation as a result of acute respiratory distress syndrome. The pathology was consistent with angiosarcoma of the duodenum. In our experience, this tumor may cause severe bleeding, and surgery should be performed as soon as possible to prevent complications of hypovolemic shock.
authors: Division of General Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors: Jian-Ling
authors: JL
authors: Chen
authors: King-Tong
authors: KT
authors: Mok
authors: Hui-Hwa
authors: HH
authors: Tseng
authors: Being-Whey
authors: BW
authors: Wang
authors: Shiuh-Inn
authors: SI
authors: Liu
authors: Chin-Wang
authors: CW
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004379:Duodenal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male