Primary central nervous system angiosarcoma: Two case reports

Abstract

Introduction: Primary angiosarcoma of the brain is extremely rare; only 15 cases have been reported in adults over the last 25 years. Case presentations: We describe two cases of primary angiosarcoma of the brain that are well characterized by imaging, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry. Case 1: our first patient was a 35-year-old woman who developed exophthalmos. Subtotal resection of a left extra-axial retro-orbital mass was performed. Case 2: our second patient was a 47-year-old man who presented to our facility with acute visual loss, word-finding difficulty and subtle memory loss. A heterogeneously-enhancing left sphenoid wing mass was removed. We also review the literature aiming at developing a rational approach to diagnosis and treatment, given the rarity of this entity. Conclusions: Gross total resection is the standard of care for primary angiosarcoma of the brain. Adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy are playing increasingly recognized roles in the therapy of these rare tumors. © 2012 Hackney et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.