title: Hepatic angiosarcoma may have fair survival nowadays.
abstract: Hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) is rare but often fatal. A review of literature in 1979 found that only 3% of the 70 patients lived for more than 2 years, but the survival might have been improved over the years. We conducted a retrospective study and reviewed the medical records of patients who visited a teaching hospital in Taiwan from January 2000 to August 2010 and had pathological proof of HAS. In addition, we conducted a review of literature and compared those who survived for 2 years or more to those who did not. Of the 3503 patients with primary liver cancer we identified, 9 had HAS, of whom 3 (33.3%) survived for 2 years or more. One survived for 24 months without surgical resection, and the other two received surgery with postoperative chemotherapy and were still alive 32 and 37 months later, respectively. Through reviewing literature, we identified 3 more patients in Taiwan who had survived for 2 years or more. One survived for 42 months without surgical resection, the other two received segmentectomy with postoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. We also identified 8 such cases outside Taiwan, including 1 who received chemotherapy without surgery and survived for 53 months. None of the differences in the clinical characteristics between those who had and had not survived for 2 years or more reached statistical significance. In conclusion, we believe the combination of surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy may be able to achieve long-term survival in some HAS patients nowadays, and it is even possible to achieve fair survival using chemotherapy alone.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung (N-CH, Y-MH, Y-TC, S-RW, H-TC); National Yang-Ming University, School of Medicine, Taipei (N-CH, H-MW, Y-MH, Y-TC, S-RW, H-TC, J-SW); Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan (N-CH, J-CC, H-RG); Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, National Cheng Kung University and National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan (Y-CK, H-RG); Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung (J-CC); Department of Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung (J-CC); Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung (S-YH); Department of Health Management, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung (S-YH); Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung (H-MW); Department of Health Care and Management, Yuh-Ing Junior College of Health Care and Management, Kaohsiung (Y-TC); Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung (J-SW); Department of Radiation Oncology, Sin-Lau Christian Hospital, Tainan (S-YH); Department of Radiation Oncology, Chi Mei Liouying Hospital, Tainan (S-YH); and Department of Nursing, Chang Jung Christian University, Tainan, Taiwan (S-YH).
authors.forename: Neng-Chyan
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yau-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Jui-Chin
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Shih-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Huay-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yao-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: Yun-Te
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Shue-Ren
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wann
authors.forename: Hong-Tai
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Jyh-Seng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sheng-Yow
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: How-Ran
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology