Clinical case series of pediatric hepatic angiosarcoma

Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2017 Nov;64(11). doi: 10.1002/pbc.26627. Epub 2017 May 18.

Abstract

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare, aggressive, malignant neoplasm with fewer than 50 cases reported in children. Prognosis is poor, with a minority surviving beyond 2 years after diagnosis. We report eight cases of pediatric hepatic angiosarcoma, diagnosed at a mean age of 3 years. Seven were initially diagnosed with an infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma (IHHE) or hemangioma and the eighth with a "vascular tumor." Two patients, who received liver transplant, survived. We suggest hepatic hemangiomas can rarely transform into angiosarcomas and a subset of IHHEs (Type II) are actually a low-grade form of angiosarcoma rather than a benign lesion.

Keywords: hemangioendothelioma; hepatic angiosarcoma; hepatic hemangioma; infantile hemangioma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Hemangiosarcoma / pathology*
  • Hemangiosarcoma / therapy
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Liver Neoplasms / therapy
  • Liver Transplantation
  • Male
  • Prognosis