title: Sporadic Case of Breast Angiosarcoma as a Complication of Radiotherapy Following Breast-Conserving Surgery for Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Angiosarcomas are highly aggressive and malignant blood vessel tumors. Rarely, angiosarcomas develop in the breast following conservative therapy, namely radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 70-year-old female patient presented with dark purple discoloration of the skin of the right breast. 6 years earlier, the patient had undergone conservative surgery for invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast. According to the breast-conserving surgery protocol, the patient had been treated with radiotherapy to the residual breast tissue. The patient's annual mammograms and ultrasound findings were normal. The skin lesion was superficially localized mostly at the border between the upper and lower medial quadrants of the breast (between 2 and 4 o'clock) and above the areola. The borders were uneven; the dimensions were 7 cm × 4 cm. The mammogram was classified as Breast Imaging Report and Data System (BI-RADS) 2. Ultrasound examination showed a well-vascularized structure, although the etiology was unclear. A tissue biopsy revealed angiosarcoma. The patient underwent radical simplex mastectomy. Following surgery, the patient underwent chemotherapy. Tests excluded metastases for a follow-up period of 5 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Angiosarcomas that develop after radiotherapy following breast-conserving surgery are sporadic, but it is important to take this possible incident into consideration during treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Damir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grebić
authors.affiliation: Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Program, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ana Marija
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tomašić
keywords: Angiosarcoma; Breast-conserving surgery; Radiotherapy