Clinical Outcomes for Primary and Radiation-Associated Angiosarcoma of the Breast with Multimodal Treatment: Long-Term Survival Is Achievable

Clinicopathologic and molecular correlates to neoadjuvant chemotherapy-induced pathologic response in breast angiosarcoma

Both primary and secondary breast angiosarcoma (AS) are characterized by multifocal presentation and aggressive behavior. Despite multimodality therapy, local and distant relapse rates remain high. Therefore, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is employed to improve the R0 resection rates and survival, but its benefits remain controversial. Herein, we investigate pathologic and molecular correlates to NACT-induced histologic response in a group of 29 breast AS, 4 primary and 25 radiation-associated (RA). The two NACT regimens applied were anthracycline- and non-anthracycline-based. The pathologic response grade was defined as: I: ≤ 50%, II: 51%-90%, III: 91%-99%, and IV: 100%. An additional 45 primary AS and 102 RA-AS treated by surgery alone were included for survival comparison. The genomic landscape was analyzed in a subset of cases and compared to a cohort of AS without NACT on a paired tumor-normal targeted DNA NGS platform. All patients were females, with a median age of 31 years in primary AS and 68 years in RA-AS. All surgical margins were negative in NACT group. The NACT response was evenly divided between poor (Grades I-II; n = 15) and good responders (Grades III-IV; n = 14). Mitotic count >10/mm2 was the only factor inversely associated with pathologic response. By targeted NGS, all 10 post-NACT RA-AS demonstrated MYC amplification, while both primary AS harbored KDR mutations. TMB or other genomic alterations did not correlate with pathologic response. All four patients with Grade IV response remained free of disease. The good responders had a significantly better disease-specific survival (p = 0.04). There was no survival difference with NACT status or the NACT regimens applied. However, NACT patients with MYC-amplified tumors showed better disease-free survival (p = 0.04) compared to MYC-amplified patients without NACT. The overall survival of NACT group correlated with size >10 cm (p = 0.02), pathologic response (p = 0.04), and multifocality (p = 0.01) by univariate, while only size >10 cm (p = 0.03) remained significant by multivariate analysis.

Clinical recommendations for treatment of localized angiosarcoma: A consensus paper by the Italian Sarcoma Group

Angiosarcoma (AS) represents a rare and aggressive vascular sarcoma, posing distinct challenges in clinical management compared to other sarcomas. While the current European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) clinical practice guidelines for sarcoma treatment are applicable to AS, its unique aggressiveness and diverse tumor presentations necessitate dedicated and detailed clinical recommendations, which are currently lacking. Notably, considerations regarding surgical extent, radiation therapy (RT), and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy vary significantly in localized disease, depending on each different site of onset. Indeed, AS are one of the sarcoma types most sensitive to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Despite this, uncertainties persist regarding optimal management across different clinical presentations, highlighting the need for further investigation through clinical trials. The Italian Sarcoma Group (ISG) organized a consensus meeting on April 1st, 2023, in Castel San Pietro, Italy, bringing together Italian sarcoma experts from several disciplines and patient representatives from "Sofia nel Cuore Onlus" and the ISG patient advocacy working group. The objective was to develop specific clinical recommendations for managing localized AS within the existing framework of sarcoma clinical practice guidelines, accounting for potential practice variations among ISG institutions. The aim was to try to standardize and harmonize clinical practices, or at least highlight the open questions in the local management of the disease, to define the best evidence-based practice for the optimal approach of localized AS and generate the recommendations presented herein.

Clinicopathological analysis and prognostic treatment study of angiosarcoma of the breast: a SEER population-based analysis

INTRODUCTION

Breast angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy of endovascular origin, accounting for less than 1% of all mammary cancers. Our aim was to explore clinicopathological features and the factors associated with prognosis.

METHODS

We extracted information from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) for all patients with breast angiosarcoma between 2004 and 2015. Chi-square analysis was used to compare the clinicopathological features in all patients. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan and Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the factors associated with prognosis.

RESULTS

A total of 247 patients were included in the analyses. The median OS of patients with primary breast angiosarcoma (PBSA) and secondary breast angiosarcoma (SBAB) was 38 months and 42 months, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5-year OS with PBSA was 80%, 39%, and 25%, respectively, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year OS with SBAB was 80%, 42%, and 34%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor size (p = 0.001), tumor grade (p < 0.001), tumor extension (p = 0.015), and tumor spread (p < 0.001) were statistically significant factors for OS. Partial mastectomy with radiation (HR = 0.160, 95% CI, 0.036-0.719, p = 0.016), partial mastectomy with chemotherapy (HR = 0.105, 95% CI, 0.011-1.015, p = 0.052), and partial mastectomy (HR = 0.125, 95% CI, 0.028-0.583, p = 0.007) were related to significantly better OS outcomes in primary angiosarcoma.

CONCLUSION

Primary breast angiosarcoma has a better clinical phenotype than secondary breast angiosarcoma. Although overall survival was not statistically significant, primary breast angiosarcoma was better than secondary breast angiosarcoma with systemic therapy. Depending on the outcome of survival, partial mastectomy is effective in treating primary breast angiosarcoma.

Contemporary diagnostic approach to atypical vascular lesion and angiosarcoma

Vascular neoplasms account for a substantial fraction of cutaneous mesenchymal tumors, spanning from clinically indolent benign lesions to highly aggressive malignancies. These neoplasms present a distinctive challenge in terms of their diagnostic histopathology, both because of the breadth of their morphological manifestations and because of the significant histological overlap between different entities, even benign and malignant ones. The post-radiotherapy setting is particularly problematic diagnostically, insofar as radiation exposure predisposes not only to secondary angiosarcoma, but also to atypical vascular lesion, a largely benign proliferation of cutaneous blood vessels typically affecting the breast. To address these challenges, we explore the clinical, histological, and molecular features of malignant vascular neoplasia, including primary and secondary subtypes, through the comparative lens of atypical vascular lesion. In addition to highlighting the key morphological indicators of malignancy in superficial vasoformative tumors, we offer an approach that integrates clinical characteristics and molecular genetic profiling to facilitate accurate classification. With this current knowledge as our foundation, we also look ahead in an effort to frame some of the key unanswered questions regarding superficial vascular malignancies and their natural history, clinical management, and molecular underpinnings.

Does Angiosarcoma of the Breast Need Nodal Staging?

BACKGROUND

Breast angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy classically associated with hematogenous metastases. We sought to determine the prevalence of pathologic nodal involvement in patients with nonmetastatic, resected breast angiosarcoma and its association with overall survival.

STUDY DESIGN

The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with nonmetastatic angiosarcoma of the breast who underwent surgical resection from 2004 to 2017. The prevalence of regional lymph node operation and nodal positivity was calculated. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate overall survival among node-positive and node-negative patients. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to evaluate the adjusted association of nodal positivity with overall survival.

RESULTS

We included 991 patients with angiosarcoma. The median age was 69 years (interquartile range 57 to 78), and the cohort was 99% female. A total of 298 patients (30%) had pathologic regional nodal evaluation. Of those, 15 (5.0%) had positive regional lymph nodes. Node-positive patients had significantly worse survival than patients with negative regional lymph nodes. After adjusting for patient, tumor, and treatment factors, a positive regional lymph node was associated with worse overall survival compared with patients with no nodal evaluation (hazard ratio 3.20; 95% CI 1.75 to 5.86; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with nonmetastatic angiosarcoma of the breast have a 5% regional lymph node positivity rate, which is at a common threshold to consider evaluation, and identifies patients with poor survival. A prospective study to determine performance characteristics of sentinel lymph node biopsy is warranted.