Angiosarcoma of the breast: the experience of the European Institute of Oncology and a review of the literature

Abstract

Angiosarcoma of the breast (AB) is a rare entity: its overall incidence is estimated at between 0.002% and 0.005% per year. Some potential risk factors have been described, mainly previous irradiation of the breast. We report the experience of the European Institute of Oncology with this unusual disease from January 1996 to January 2006: sixteen patients with angiosarcoma, 9 (56%) of whom had primary AB and 7 (44%), secondary AB, are discussed.