Distinct histological features characterize primary angiosarcoma of bone

Primary vascular tumors of bone: A comprehensive literature review on classification, diagnosis and treatment

Primary vascular tumors of bone are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms, ranging from benign hemangiomas to frankly malignant epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas and angiosarcomas. Over the years, their classification has been a matter of discussion, due to morphologic similarities and uncertainty regarding biologic behavior. Over the past decade, with the development of next-generation sequencing, there has been a significant improvement in the molecular characterization of these lesions. The integration of their morphologic, immunohistochemical and molecular features has led to a better stratification, with important prognostic and therapeutic implications. Nevertheless, primary vascular bone tumors still represent a challenge for medical oncologists. Given their rarity and heterogeneity, in the last few years, there has been no significant progress in medical treatment options, so further research is needed. Here we present a review of the current knowledge regarding primary vascular tumors of the bone, correlating clinicopathologic features with tumor behavior and therapeutic approaches.

Primary Angiosarcoma of Lumbar Pedicle and Transverse Process Revealed by FDG PET/CT

ABSTRACT

The primary angiosarcoma of bone is rare. It typically occurs in tubular bones, pelvis, and trunk. However, its occurrence in the lumbar pedicle, and transverse process is infrequent. Thus, we present the imaging findings of FDG PET/CT in a rare case of primary angiosarcoma of lumbar pedicle and transverse process. It presented as solitary osteolytic bone destruction in the right pedicle and transverse process of L4 with intense FDG uptake. This case added knowledge of another rare occurrence site of primary angiosarcoma of bone, which should be considered as a differential diagnosis when we meet similar image appearance on FDG PET/CT.

Management of Vascular Sarcoma

Vascular sarcomas encompass 3 well-defined sarcoma types: hemangioendothelioma, Kaposi sarcoma, and angiosarcoma. These distinct types are exceedingly rare and very different in terms of clinical behavior, biological features, and treatment approach. Because of this rarity and heterogeneity, it is crucial that vascular sarcomas are treated in sarcoma reference centers or networks, in order to ensure optimal management. The diversity of vascular sarcomas also needs to be taken into account in the design of clinical trials, in order to produce meaningful results that can be consistently translated into everyday clinical practice.

Vascular Tumors of Bone: Updates and Diagnostic Pitfall

Vascular tumors of bone can be diagnostically challenging because of their rarity and histologic overlap with diverse mimics. Vascular tumors of bone can be categorized as benign (hemangioma), intermediate-locally aggressive (epithelioid hemangioma), intermediate-rarely metastasizing (pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma), and malignant (epithelioid hemangioendothelioma and angiosarcoma). Recurrent genetic alterations have been described, such as FOSB rearrangements in pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma and a subset of epithelioid hemangiomas; CAMTA1 or TFE3 rearrangements in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. This review discusses the clinical, histologic, and molecular features of vascular tumors of bone, along with diagnostic pitfalls and strategies for avoidance.

NTRK fusions are extremely rare in bone tumours

Aims

Because of the efficacy of tropomyosin receptor kinase (Trk) inhibitor therapy in tumours with rearrangements of the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor genes (NRTK genes), there has been a surge in demand for NTRK fusion screening. To date, most studies involving mesenchymal tumours have focused on soft tissue tumours, and data on bone tumours are sparse. Hence, we aimed to explore the frequency of NTRK fusions in a large series of primary bone tumours.

Methods and results

Immunohistochemical expression of pan‐Trk was successfully assessed in 354 primary bone tumours by the use of tissue microarrays. In a selection of positive cases, additional molecular analysis for NTRK fusions was performed with anchored multiplex polymerase chain reaction‐based targeted next‐generation sequencing. Positivity was found in 19 cases (5%), which comprised Ewing sarcoma (n = 6, 33%), osteosarcoma (n = 11, 13%), and giant‐cell tumour of bone (n = 2, 3%). In all except one case, cytoplasmic staining was observed. Weak staining was most often observed (n = 13), although five cases showed moderate staining and one case showed focal strong staining. Molecular analysis was successful in six cases, all of which were negative for NTRK fusions.

Conclusion

The likelihood of finding an NTRK fusion in bone tumours in clinical practice is extremely low. This may imply that, if more comprehensive large‐scale molecular studies confirm this, routine predictive NTRK testing in bone tumour patients with advanced disease may be reconsidered.

Ovarian epithelioid angiosarcoma complicating pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature

Epithelioid angiosarcoma is a rare and highly aggressive soft tissue angiosarcoma most commonly arising in the deep soft tissues. Given that abundant vascular cavities anastomose with each other, most angiosarcomas prone to metastasis recur quickly, and the overall prognosis is poor. We report a 25-year-old woman at 24 weeks’ gestation who presented with a 1-month history of abdominal distension. Ultrasonography suggested a mass in the right adnexa, and she underwent two operations owing to uncontrolled intraperitoneal bleeding with progressive anemia. The right ovarian tumor and right adnexa were removed successively. Biopsy yielded a diagnosis of primary epithelioid angiosarcoma with mature cystic teratoma. The patient died from uncontrolled progressive bleeding 1 week after the second operation. This case revealed that epithelial angiosarcoma is a highly malignant endothelial cell tumor. The results of surgery and chemoradiotherapy tend to be poor, and the recurrence rate is high. The purpose of this study is to raise clinical awareness of epithelial angiosarcoma and its adverse events and to provide new ideas for the treatment of these adverse events. Immunohistochemical staining of pathological specimens can facilitate diagnosis. Pregnancy with malignant tumors may lead to rapid disease progression, extensive lesions, and a poor prognosis.

Primary Angiosarcoma of Humerus - A Case Report and Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Osseous angiosarcoma is a very rare tumor of bone with aggressive behavior, propensity for recurrences, and distant metastasis. The etiology of osseous angiosarcoma is uncertain; however, specific risk factors have been recognized. The diagnosis of angiosarcoma of bone demands multimodality imaging in conjunction with histopathological and vascular marker evaluation to aptly differentiate them from other vascular tumors. Treatment of osseous angiosarcoma remains controversial.

CASE REPORT

A 53-year-old male presented with pain and swelling of the right upper 1/3rd of the arm following heaviness while lifting weight for 3 months. He had a history of significant weight loss and appetite with no history of inciting trauma or irradiation in the past. On examination, a diffuse swelling was noted in the right shoulder and right scapular aspect with varied consistency and ill-defined borders and margins. The skin over the swelling was stretched and shiny with dilated engorged veins over it. The plain radiograph of the right shoulder with humerus revealed a large expansile lytic soft-tissue mass in the right proximal humerus with a wide zone of transition without sclerotic margins. Magnetic resonance imaging showed T1 hypointense, T2/PDFS hyperintense large well-defined expansile lytic lesion with multi-loculated cysts, and multiple blood-fluid levels involving right proximal humerus. The patient underwent an incisional biopsy which exhibited angiosarcoma of the humerus. The patient was treated with six cycles of chemotherapy with a mesna, doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine regimen. The patient was still under follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Being a rare clinical entity, controversy exists in angiosarcoma of humerus regarding its etiology and recommended management protocols. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry remain the gold standard in differentiating osseous angiosarcoma from other osseous vascular tumors. The treatment protocol has to be standardized to decrease morbidity and to improve the functional quality of life of the patient.

A Clinical Model of Bone Angiosarcoma Patients: A Population-based Analysis of Epidemiology, Prognosis, and Treatment

Objective

To investigate the epidemiological data, prognostic factors, and treatment outcomes of bone angiosarcoma (BA).

Methods

This retrospective study was based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The medical records of BA patients were selected from the SEER database from 1975 to 2016. Variables including patients' baseline demographics (age, sex, marital status, and year of diagnosis), tumor characteristics (tumor size, grade, and SEER Historic Stage A), and treatment (surgery and radiotherapy) were selected for further analysis. The research endpoints were overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS). The optimal cutoff values of continuous variables including age, year of diagnosis, and tumor size were identified using the X‐tail program. Univariate Cox regression was used to identify potential prognostic factors and multivariate Cox regression was used to identify independent prognostic factors. All prognostic factors were included to predict the survival time compared to the median OS and CSS times via the novel nomograms. To validate the internal validation of nomograms, we analyzed the concordance indices (C‐index).

Results

This study enrolled a total of 271 patients with malignant vascular bone tumors among residents of the United States between 1975 and 2016. After applying the exclusion criteria (one case without active follow‐up), this study included 152 patients with BA. The median survival time of BA was significantly shorter than that of malignant vascular bone tumors for OS (9 months vs 27 months, P < 0.001). Age, year of diagnosis, tumor size, grade, stage, and surgery were identified as potential prognostic factors for OS or CSS in univariate Cox regression. However, only age (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), stage (P = 0.002, P < 0.001), and surgery (P = 0.001, P = 0.002) were independent prognostic factors for CSS and OS, respectively, in the multivariate analysis. Younger patients less than 54 years have significantly better prognosis for CSS/OS than patients between 54 and 67 years (Hazard ratios [HRs]: 1.651 [1.763–3.575], 2.557 [1.395–4.687]) and more than 67 years (HRs: 4.404 [2.237–8.670], 5.113 [2.923–8.942]). For CSS/OS, the survival time of patients with localized stage was significantly longer than that of patients with regional stage (HRs: 1.530 [0.725–3.228], 1.548 [0.834–2.873]) and that of patients with distant stage (HRs: 1.706 [0.899–3.237], 2.101 [1.254–3.520]). Patients with surgery had more survival time than patients without surgery for CSS/OS (HRs: 2.861 [1.542–5.310], 2.103 [1.308–3.379]). All factors were further included to generate nomograms for CSS and OS. The C‐indexes for the internal validation of OS and CSS prediction were 0.787 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.738–0.836) and 0.768 (95% CI: 0.717–0.819), respectively.

Conclusions

Age, stage, and surgery were closely associated with prognosis in patients with BA, and this clinical model was a favorable tool to evaluate survival possibilities.

Angiosarcoma of bone: a retrospective study of the European Musculoskeletal Oncology Society (EMSOS)

Angiosarcoma of bone (B-AS) is a rare malignant tumor of vascular origin. The aim of this retrospective study is to report on treatments and prognosis. Data were collected from the EMSOS website. 80 patients in 9 centers included: 51 male/29 female; median age 54 years (range 17 to 92); 56% with localized disease, 44% metastatic. Primary tumor surgery: 76% (30% amputation, 26% intralesional margins); radiotherapy (RT): 41%; chemotherapy (CT): 47% (56% in metastatic, 41% in localized cases). With a median follow-up of 31 months (range 40 to 309), 5-year overall survival (OS) was 27% (95%CI 16–30): 41% (95%CI 25–56) for localized patients, and 8% (95%CI 0–20) for metastatic (p = 0.002). In metastatic patients, 1 year OS was significantly influenced by chemotherapy response: 67% (95CI% 29–100) for those who responded or had stable disease (n = 7), and 18% (95CI% 0–41) for patients with progressive disease (n = 11), p 0.002. The surgical complete remission (SCR) status was pivotal in localized patients (5-year OS 45% for SCR, 17% no SCR, p = 0.03); also 5-year OS was significantly influenced by age and site of the tumor. After multivariate analysis, the addition of radiotherapy to surgery significantly influenced the disease-free survival (DFS) rate, whereas the use of chemotherapy lost the significance showed at the univariate analysis. Overall, patients with metastatic B-AS have a dismal prognosis, with a prolonged survival in case with a response to chemotherapy. Experimental trials with more active systemic treatment regimens are needed. In patients with localized disease, the patient’s age and site of the tumor are prognostic factors and any effort must be made to achieve an SCR status. No definitive conclusions can be drawn from our data on the use of adjuvant chemotherapy, while the use of adjuvant radiotherapy might improve DSF in patients surgically free of disease.

TFE3 rearranged epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of bone: A clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular study of two cases

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare malignant angiocentric vascular neoplasm. Around 90% of classic EHE has a t(1;3)(p36;q25) that results in a WWTR1-CAMTA1 fusion gene, a histologically distinctive subset of EHE has been recently shown to have a t(10;14)(p13;q42)that results in a different fusion gene, YAP1-TFE3. Twenty-one cases of TFE3 Rearranged Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma have been reported in the literature, and only two cases occurred in bone. In the report, we report additional two cases occurred in the femur and skull and review the related literature.

Primary Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of the Uterus: A Rare Tumor with Very Aggressive Behavior

Angiosarcoma is a high-grade vascular tumor arising from endothelial cells of blood vessels. It represents less than 1% of the mesenchymal tumors. Uterine angiosarcoma is an extremely rare tumor with less than 25 cases reported in the literature. It usually presents in postmenopausal women as uterine mass and rarely can arise in a leiomyoma. It is included in the group of tumors of aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Herein, we present a case of primary uterine angiosarcoma in a 56-year-old female patient with a history of fibroids presenting with pelvic pain and weight loss. Abdominal CT scan showed a large uterine mass and enlarged pelvic lymph nodes. Total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed, and on histopathologic examination, it was found to be primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of the uterus. Immunohistochemical stains for CD31, keratin MAK-6, and keratin AE1/AE3 confirmed the diagnosis. In conclusion, uterine angiosarcoma should be suspected in any rapidly growing hemorrhagic uterine mass, and appropriate sampling and immunohistochemical stains should be considered.

Survival Analysis of Patients with Osseous Malignant Vascular Tumors: Results of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database from 1973 to 2015

Background

Osseous malignant vascular tumors (OMVTs) are rare lesions. Moreover, the prognostic determinants of OMVTs have not been reported. This study aimed to present epidemiological data and analyze the prognostic factors of survival in OMVT patients.

Material/Methods

OMVT patients who were diagnosed between 1973 and 2015 were screened using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database, with special attention paid to osseous hemangiosarcoma (OAS) and osseous hemangioendothelioma (OHE). We assessed the prognostic values of cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) rates with a Cox proportional hazards regression model and univariate and multivariate analyses. OS and CSS curves were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method.

Results

A total of 202 cases were selected from the SEER database. The specific histopathological diagnoses were osseous hemangiosarcoma (n=127) and osseous hemangioendothelioma (n=75). Among OMVT patients, histology was an important factor in determining survival. Using multivariate analysis, old age, distant tumor stage, surgery, and low tumor grade were predictors of OS for OAS patients. Old age, surgery, and low tumor grade were predictors of CSS. Using multivariate analysis, old age and surgery were predictors of OS and CSS for OHE patients.

Conclusions

This study is the largest population-based study to show the demographic characteristics and analyze the prognosis of OMVT patients. Independent predictors of OS for patients with AS included old age, distant tumor stage, low tumor grade, and surgery. Old age, surgery, and low tumor grade were also predictors of CSS for patients with OAS. Independent predictors of CSS and OS for patients with OHE included old age and surgery.

Primary angiosarcoma of the femur in a patient with Takayasu arteritis

Primary osseous angiosarcoma is a rare entity with variable biological behavior and poor prognosis. Little is known about the oncologic treatment and its etiology is still unknown. This study presents a case of lytic lesion in the right femur with dissemination to other bones, such as the vertebral column and skull, and to the lungs and central nervous system. Orthopedic surgery was performed in order to improve quality of life. Surgical specimen confirmed the diagnosis of high-grade malignant osseous angiosarcoma. Despite oncologic and orthopedic treatment, the patient had rapid and aggressive progression with a poor outcome.

Vascular Tumors of Bone: The Evolvement of a Classification Based on Molecular Developments

The classification of vascular tumors of bone has been under debate over time. Vascular tumors in bone are rare, display highly overlapping morphology, and, therefore, are considered difficult by pathologists. Compared with their soft tissue counterparts, they are more often multifocal and sometimes behave more aggressively. Over the past decade, with the advent of next-generation sequencing, recurrent molecular alterations have been found in some of the entities. The integration of morphology and molecular changes has led to a better characterization of these separate entities.

Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of right hip joint: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Epithelioid angiosarcoma (EA) is a rare, highly invasive tumor. The histopathological features of EA are not distinct and less reported in the literature, and most of the medical records are incomplete.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 61-year-old woman who came to the hospital because of pain in her right hip. This patient had had surgery for right hip tuberculosis 30 years ago.

DIAGNOSES

The present study reports a case of primary EA of bone with aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) that was diagnosed by 3 experienced pathologists.

INTERVENTIONS

The patients had undergone 2 surgeries; however, an early recurrence of the tumor was caused the death of the patient.

OUTCOMES

Ten EA cases from other literature were reviewed in this article; all the symptoms were found in different parts of bone, and the case data were relatively complete. The primary clinical features and nonspecific histopathological morphology of the disease were summarized from the 11 cases mentioned in the literature, and the main immunohistochemistry characteristics and diagnostic traps of EA were reviewed.

LESSONS

Because the tumor has no characteristic diagnostic index in imaging and laboratory examination, the histopathologic features are not typical, especially in the case of obvious secondary lesions. It is easy to miss and misdiagnose. If possible, the diagnosis should be combined with immunohistochemical results.

Differential CT and MR imaging diagnosis between low- and high-grade malignant vascular tumors of bone

Objective

To investigate the CT and MR imaging findings and differential diagnosis of malignant vascular tumors of bone.

Materials and methods

CT and MR imaging findings of 18 patients with histopathology-proven malignant vascular tumors of bone were examined. Assessed image features included age, sex, location, CT findings, and MR imaging appearances and dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging.

Results

The study group comprised 18 cases, of which 7 were categorized as low-grade malignant vascular tumors (LMT), and 11 were categorized as high-grade malignant vascular tumors (HMT). Malignant vascular tumors of bone showed osteolytic lesions with heterogeneous signs and enhancement, and frequently associated with soft tissue masses and peritumorous edema. The mean age of patient was respectively 34.7 years in LMT with 3 patients younger than 20 and 49.9 years in HMT with 3 patients older than 60 years. The mean lesion diameter was 3.6 cm (range 2–7.2) in LMT with two lesions <3 cm and 7.1 cm (range 3–13) in HMT with 3 lesions greater than 10 cm. LMT showed multifocal (57.1 %) and well-defined (71.5 %) lesions with residual bone (57.1 %), peripheral sclerosis (85.7 %), and slightly hetergeneous enhancement (71.4 %), compared to those of HMT with 9.1, 45.5, 27.3, and 72.7 %, and 9.1 % respectively. Also, HMT appeared as expansive (54.5 %), ill-defined (54.5 %), macroscopic necrosis/cystic (81.8 %) or hemorrhagic (27.3 %) lesion with pathological fracture (27.3 %), and often presented with obviously hetergeneous enhancement (81.8 %), compared to those of LMT with 42.9, 28.6, 42.9, 0, 14.3 and 14.3 % respectively.

Conclusions

There are some differences in the imaging features between LMT and HMT, while unifocal/multifocal, expansive, ill-defined, necrosis/cystic, hemorrhagic features with age, lesion diameter, peripheral sclerosis, residual bone tissue, pathological fracture and slightly/obviously hetergeneous enhancement highly suggest their differential diagnosis.

Epithelioid Angiosarcoma of the Bladder: A Series of 9 Cases

Primary angiosarcoma of the bladder is very rare, with approximately 30 cases reported in the literature. Those with epithelioid morphology are even rarer, with only single-case reports published. We describe the histopathologic features and clinical follow-up of 9 patients with epithelioid angiosarcoma (EA) of the bladder retrieved from our Surgical Pathology files from 1998 to 2014. Eight cases were consults. The mean age at presentation was 65 years (range, 39 to 85 y). The M:F ratio was 8:1. The clinical presentation was hematuria and bladder mass in all cases. Six patients had a history of radiotherapy to the pelvis, 5 to treat prostate cancer and 1 to treat uterine cervical cancer. The time from radiotherapy to the diagnosis of EA ranged from 6 to 15 years. The average size of the tumor was 4 cm. (range, 1 to 8 cm.). The submitting diagnoses were poorly differentiated carcinoma (n=5), high-grade invasive urothelial carcinoma (n=3), and atypical vascular proliferation (n=1). Morphologically, the tumors were composed of nests and sheets of highly atypical cells with high nuclear to cytoplasmic ratio, occasional intracytoplasmic lumens, and a hemorrhagic background. None of the cases showed any urothelial carcinoma component. Three patients showed in addition usual angiosarcoma in the resection specimen. By immunohistochemistry, 5/9 cases were positive for cytokeratins, including CK7 (n=3), AE1/AE3 (n=3), and Cam5.2 (n=1). All cases were positive for at least 1 endothelial marker, including CD31 (n=7), CD34 (n=2), FVIII (n=3), and ERG (n=2). Urothelial markers (p63 and GATA3) were consistently negative. Surgical treatment included transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) only (n=5), TURB followed by cystoprostatectomy (n=2), TURB followed by partial cystectomy (n=1), and cystoprostatectomy only (n=1). The tumor involved the muscularis propria in 5/9 patients, the periureteric adipose tissue in 1 patient, and the prostate and seminal vesicles in 1 patient. Five of 9 patients died of disease, with a median survival of 7 months (range, 6 to 14 mo). Two patients were alive with disease at 3 and 6 months of follow-up. One patient who underwent radical cystoprostatectomy was alive with no evidence of disease 12 months after surgery. EA of the bladder is a rare malignancy that is frequently misdiagnosed as high-grade carcinoma, especially due to positive immunostaining for cytokeratins. This tumor is more frequent in older men with a history of radiotherapy to the pelvis. Morphologic features that should suggest the vascular origin of the tumor include highly atypical nuclei with interspersed erythrocytes, hemorrhagic background, and occasional intracytoplasmic lumens. Patients usually present with muscle invasive disease, and the prognosis is dismal.

Multicentric Primary Angiosarcoma of Bone Mimicking Metastasis on (18)F-FDG PET/CT in a Patient with a History of Sigmoid Colon Cancer: a Case Report

Primary angiosarcoma of the bone (PAB) is a rare and fatal high-grade malignant vascular bone tumor. We report a rare case of multicentric PAB mimicking bone metastasis in a 59-year-old female patient with a history of sigmoid colon cancer. This patient complained of lower back and pelvic pain and presented with multiple osteolytic bone lesions on plain radiography and pelvic computed tomography. First, bone metastasis of sigmoid colon cancer was suspected. However, on the (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scan, the patient presented unusual multiple hypermetabolic osteolytic bone lesions involving contiguous bones of the lower half of the body. After bone biopsy, these lesions were confirmed to be multicentric PAB. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of an (18)F-FDG PET/CT scan in a patient with multicentric primary bone angiosarcoma.

Giant cell angioblastoma of bone: four new cases provide further evidence of its distinct clinical and histopathological characteristics

Giant cell angioblastoma is a rare locally aggressive vascular neoplasm that occurs predominantly in the soft tissue of infants and children. As very few cases have been reported, the diagnostic criteria of this tumor type have not been clearly defined. The majority of earlier reported cases occurred in soft tissues, only one case being reported to arise in bone. In this study, we describe four additional cases of giant cell angioblastoma with primary presentation in bone. Two cases occurred in males: one in a 23-month-old baby and the other in an 8-year-old boy. The other two cases occurred in adult females, at an age of 37 and 56 years, respectively. The involved sites were right femur, left hip and knee joint, lumbar vertebra, left metacarpus, and phalange. The main presenting symptoms were skeletal pain (n = 3) and limping (n = 1). Clinically, three cases were suspected as tuberculosis and one case as fibrous dysplasia. Histologically, all tumors were composed of infiltrative nodules composed of angiomatous vessels surrounded by spindled-to-ovoid cells and variable numbers of histiocytoid and multinucleate giant cells. By immunohistochemistry, the angiomatous vessels were positive for endothelial markers, whereas surrounding pericytes were positive for actin. The variable histiocytoid cells and multinucleate giant cells showed a histiocytic phenotype. Follow-up revealed no signs of local recurrence or metastasis after surgery, but the follow-up periods were of limited duration. This study illustrates that giant cell angioblastoma represents a locally aggressive endothelial neoplasm characterized by nodular proliferation of small vessels with scattered multinucleate giant cells. It can occur in bone and also in adults, although very rarely.

Primary angiosarcoma of bone: a retrospective analysis of 60 patients from 2 institutions

BACKGROUND

Angiosarcoma of bone is a rare high-grade malignant vascular tumor. The literature regarding treatment and outcome of patients with this tumor is limited.We performed a 2 institutional retrospective study to analyze treatment and survival of patients with angiosarcoma of bone.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We reviewed patients with the histologic diagnosis of primary angiosarcoma of bone treated from 1980 to 2009. Demographic details, histology, treatment, and survival were reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 38 men and 22 women (median age, 54 y) were recruited. Most lesions occurred in the femur and the pelvis. Metastatic disease at presentation was diagnosed in 24 patients (40%). Forty-three patients underwent surgery, with 30 of them achieving surgical complete remission (SCR). Radiotherapy was applied to 17 patients, and chemotherapy to 13/35 and 15/22 patients with localized and metastatic disease, respectively.The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 20%: 33% for patients with localized disease and 0% for metastatic patients. Higher 5-year OS was reported for patients who achieved SCR (46%) than for those who did not (0%). In nonmetastatic patients, a trend toward improved survival was observed after SCR and adjuvant chemotherapy based on cisplatin, doxorubicin, and ifosfamide.Fifteen patients received chemotherapy for metastases. Two RECIST partial responses of 13 evaluable patients were documented (paclitaxel [n=1] and doxorubicin [n=1]). Stable disease was observed in 2 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Complete surgical resection is essential for outcome. Survival of patients with metastatic or unresectable disease is very poor. Activity of taxanes and anthracycline was observed in the metastatic setting and merits further evaluation.

Array CGH analysis identifies two distinct subgroups of primary angiosarcoma of bone

Molecular genetic studies on vascular tumors are rare. Recently, possible involvement of MYC and KDR has been documented in a subset of angiosarcomas of soft tissue. We performed a cytogenetic analysis of primary angiosarcomas of bone (n = 13) and soft tissue (n = 5) using high density array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH). Regions of interest were validated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Antibodies for candidate genes (SKI, MYC, KDR, and MAPK9) were selected and immunohistochemistry was performed. Six angiosarcomas of bone and four angiosarcomas of soft tissue showed chromosomal losses, gains, and high level amplifications. Cluster analysis identified two groups: a group with a complex genetic profile and a group with only few genetic aberrations. Five regions of interest were selected, which were located at chromosome bands 1p36.23, 2q32-34, 5q35, 8q24, and 17q21.32-24.2. Interphase FISH confirmed the high-level amplifications. Immunohistochemical analysis showed high expression of MYC (16/60), MAPK9 (63/69), and SKI (52/62). There were no differences between the two groups with regards to location, immunohistochemical expression nor survival. In summary, we identified two subgroups of angiosarcoma: those with few or no gross aberrations and those which show numerous genetic aberrations consisting of chromosomal losses, gains and high level amplifications or complex aberrations. The most common finding was amplification of 2q and 17q in both angiosarcoma of bone and soft tissue, suggesting overlap in tumorigenesis irrespective of their location. We show MYC amplification in primary angiosarcoma indicating this is not entirely specific for radiation-induced angiosarcoma.

Vascular tumors of bone

Vascular tumors of the bone represent a variety of neoplasms, ranging from benign hemangiomas and epithelioid hemangiomas to intermediate grade hemangioendotheliomas to frankly malignant angiosarcomas. Over the years, there has been considerable debate concerning the aggressivity, nomenclature, and mere existence of various nosologic entities, due to morphologic similarities and uncertainty regarding biologic behavior. Such debate has led to confusion among pathologists and clinicians, thus diminishing the prognostic implications in the diagnosis of these lesions. Here we review the current knowledge concerning the primary vascular neoplasms of the bone and correlate clinicopathologic features with tumor behavior.

Angiosarcoma of the humerus presenting with fluid-fluid levels on MRI: a unique imaging presentation

Fluid-fluid levels are a known feature of a number of osseous lesions, but have never before been described in primary osseous angiosarcoma, which is itself a rare malignancy. We report a case of humeral angiosarcoma presenting with fluid-fluid levels. Recognizing this entity as a possible etiology for fluid-fluid levels could help radiologists to avoid potential confusion in the differential diagnosis on imaging.

Association of D2-40 and MMP-1 expression with cyst formation in lung metastatic lesions of cutaneous angiosarcoma on the scalp: immunohistochemical analysis of 23 autopsy cases

Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp can rapidly develop into pulmonary metastasis. The pulmonary metastatic lesions display a unique appearance, so-called thin-walled cysts, which cause a fatal relapsed pneumothorax by rupturing. We analyzed 23 autopsy cases of angiosarcoma with pulmonary metastasis to elucidate the mechanism of the thin-walled cyst development. Of the 23 cases of cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp with pulmonary metastasis, radiological examination revealed pulmonary metastatic lesions as thin-walled cysts (39%), nodules (39%), mixed cysts and nodules (13%), and ground-glass opacity (9%). All the cases but one with cystic metastases were complicated by pneumothorax. The cystic lesions were accompanied by podoplanin (D2-40)-positive tumor cells in the luminal surface of the cysts. In both primary cutaneous lesions and pulmonary metastatic lesions, the D2-40 expression was positive for angiosarcoma cells in 100% and 92% of the cases, respectively. While the estrogen-regulated gene (ERG) expression was also positive for most of the primary and metastatic pulmonary angiosarcomas, D2-40 was a more useful marker to differentiate tumor cells from the background than was the ERG expression of the vascular endothelium. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) expression was also predominant in primary lesions (95%) and pulmonary metastatic lesions (82.6%). Proteinases, like MMP-1, might be associated with a developing thin-walled cyst, although there were no differences in the MMP-1 expression in either the cystic or nodular metastasis. Two extremely aggressive cases showed cystic metastasis with central necrosis that was not observed in other cases. These results suggest a pathogenesis of thin-walled cysts in some progressive cases.

Primary multicentric angiosarcoma of bone: true entity or metastases from an unknown primary? Value of comparative genomic hybridization on paraffin embedded tissues

Multicentric primary angiosarcoma of bone has been described as a distinct entity from bone metastases from angiosarcoma. Bone angiosarcoma accounts for less than 1% of sarcomas. It has dismal prognosis overall, but the multicentric expression does not confer worse prognosis. We describe the case of an old male with bone angiosarcoma of the extremities with multicentric presentation. He soon after had soft tissue angiosarcoma of the head and neck. Histology and immunohistochemistry were consistent with the diagnosis of high-grade angiosarcoma. Comparative genomic hybridization on paraffin-embedded samples of the bone and head and neck samples suggested additional abnormalities in the bone fragment, thus suggesting than bone lesions were indeed metastatic from his head and neck angiosarcoma; although these preliminary analyses warrant confirmation in other similar rare cases. The patient died after 3 years of relapsed acute leukemia with progressive angiosarcoma.

Active TGF-β signaling and decreased expression of PTEN separates angiosarcoma of bone from its soft tissue counterpart

Angiosarcomas constitute a heterogeneous group of highly malignant vascular tumors. Angiosarcoma of bone is rare and poorly characterized. For angiosarcoma of soft tissue, some pathways seem to be involved in tumor development. Our aim was to evaluate the role of these pathways in angiosarcoma of bone. We collected 37 primary angiosarcomas of bone and used 20 angiosarcomas of soft tissue for comparison. Immunohistochemistry was performed on constructed tissue microarrays to evaluate expression of CDKN2A, TP53, PTEN, BCL2, CDK4, MDM2, cyclin D1, β-catenin, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), CD105, phospho-Smad1, phospho-Smad2, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), VEGF, CD117 and glucose transporter--1. PIK3CA was screened for hotspot mutations in 19 angiosarcomas. In nearly 55% of the angiosarcoma of bone, the retinoblastoma (Rb) pathway was affected. Loss of CDKN2A expression was associated with a significantly worse prognosis. No overexpression of TP53 or MDM2 was found, suggesting that the TP53 pathway is not important in angiosarcoma of bone. Angiosarcoma of bone showed highly active TGF-β signaling with immunoreactivity for phospho-Smad2 and PAI-1. Although the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway seems to be active in both tumor groups, different mechanisms were involved: 41% of angiosarcoma of bone showed a decrease in expression of PTEN, whereas in angiosarcoma of soft tissue overexpression of KIT was found (90%). PIK3CA hotspot mutations were absent. In conclusion, the Rb pathway is involved in tumorigenesis of angiosarcoma of bone. The PI3K/Akt pathway is activated in both angiosarcoma of bone and soft tissue, however, with a different cause; PTEN expression is decreased in angiosarcoma of bone, whereas angiosarcomas of soft tissue show overexpression of KIT. Our findings support that angiosarcomas are a heterogeneous group of vascular malignancies. Both angiosarcoma of bone and soft tissue may benefit from therapeutic strategies targeting the PI3K/Akt pathway. However, interference with TGF-β signaling may be specifically relevant in angiosarcoma of bone.

Angiosarcoma of the proximal humerus: a case report and review of the literature

Introduction

Angiosarcoma of bone is an uncommon primary bone neoplasm that is composed of tumor cells that show endothelial differentiation. This is an aggressive malignancy characterized by frequent local recurrence and distant metastases. The majority of patients die within one year of diagnosis, and this shows that angiosarcoma of bone is an aggressive high-grade tumor.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 65-year-old Japanese woman who had primary angiosarcoma of the proximal humerus with a pathological fracture. An open biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of primary angiosarcoma of bone. Our patient was treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and wide resection. One month after surgery, she developed multifocal distant metastasis to her liver and spleen.

Conclusions

Angiosarcoma of the humerus is extremely rare. Radiographically, there is no specific finding associated with angiosarcoma of bone as opposed to other malignant bone tumors. The cornerstone of treatment is en bloc resection followed by as much adjuvant radiation therapy as possible. However, the role of chemotherapy remains undefined, and better systemic agents are clearly needed.

Somatic mosaic IDH1 and IDH2 mutations are associated with enchondroma and spindle cell hemangioma in Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome

Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome are non-hereditary skeletal disorders characterized by multiple enchondromas (Ollier disease) combined with spindle cell hemangiomas (Maffucci syndrome). We report somatic heterozygous mutations in IDH1 (c.394C>T encoding an R132C substitution and c.395G>A encoding an R132H substitution) or IDH2 (c.516G>C encoding R172S) in 87% of enchondromas (benign cartilage tumors) and in 70% of spindle cell hemangiomas (benign vascular lesions). In total, 35 of 43 (81%) subjects with Ollier disease and 10 of 13 (77%) with Maffucci syndrome carried IDH1 (98%) or IDH2 (2%) mutations in their tumors. Fourteen of 16 subjects had identical mutations in separate lesions. Immunohistochemistry to detect mutant IDH1 R132H protein suggested intraneoplastic and somatic mosaicism. IDH1 mutations in cartilage tumors were associated with hypermethylation and downregulated expression of several genes. Mutations were also found in 40% of solitary central cartilaginous tumors and in four chondrosarcoma cell lines, which will enable functional studies to assess the role of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in tumor formation.