title: Clinical courses of primary hepatic angiosarcoma: retrospective analysis of eight cases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hepatic angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive liver malignancy, is difficult to diagnose because of a lack of specific clinical features. The clinical and radiological features of patients with histologically confirmed hepatic angiosarcoma were examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among 2,336 patients diagnosed with primary hepatic carcinoma at Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center (Daegu, Korea) between May 2002 and February 2012, eight (0.03%) with histologically confirmed primary hepatic angiosarcoma were included. The patterns of disease diagnosis, tumor characteristics, treatment responses, and prognoses were reviewed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age was 66 years-old (range, 41-80 years). Four patients were male. Five patients were compulsive drinkers. All patients had no HBsAg and anti-HCV. Initial radiologic diagnoses revealed primary hepatic angiosarcoma (n=2), hepatocellular carcinoma (n=2), hemangioma (n=2), and hepatic metastatic carcinoma (n=2). Definitive diagnoses were made by percutaneous needle biopsies in seven patients and surgical resection in one patient. At the time of the initial diagnosis, extrahepatic metastases were detected in three patients (37.5%). Metastatic sites included the spleen and lung, pericardium, and bone, in one patient each. Two patients underwent conservative treatments. The remaining patients underwent surgical resection (n=1), transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (n=1), and systemic chemotherapy (n=4). The median survival period was 214 days (range, 21-431 days).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatic angiosarcoma is a highly progressive disease with a poor prognosis. Detailed studies including histological examinations are essential to facilitate early diagnosis of the disease.
authors.forename: Chang Jae
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Bo Ram
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Yoo Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung Kuk
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Jae Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Eun Soo
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kwang Bum
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yu Na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Woo Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Hepatic angiosarcoma; Liver neoplasms