Angiosarcoma of the shoulder revealed by previous trauma: About a case and literature review

Abstract

Angiosarcoma is a rare tumor which can affect multiple sites. However, it most commonly arises from the skin. Then symptoms have been associated with clinical polymorphism. This tumor has a poor prognosis due to its high tendency to local recurrence and distant metastases. We here report the case of a 72-year old man in whom an angiosarcoma of the shoulder arose from a trauma which occurred one year before it was accidentally detected. The patient presented with persistent pain in a swelling area at the posterior portion of the shoulder involved in the trauma. Clinical examination showed previous and partially calcified hematoma. Diagnosis was based on puncture biopsy of the mass collecting 5 cc of blackish blood and on ultrasound. Shoulder x-ray was normal. An assessment of the swelling was performed. This helped to highlight and resect some reddish, significantly bleeding friable tissue hardly managed for two days and complicated by poorly tolerated anemia corrected with two blood transfusions. Anatomopathological examination of the resected tissues showed moderately differentiated angiosarcoma unfortunately without healthy margins. Staging evaluation was performed in order to detect metastases. No local recurrence was reported over a period of three months and the patient was referred to a specialized center in Lusaka for complementary radiotherapy. The purpose of this work is to report a rare case of angiosarcoma accidentally detected in a patient with a history of trauma to the left shoulder and to highlight the therapeutic features, while conducting a literature review.