Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding due to multifocal intestinal angiosarcoma

Abstract

Introduction: Intestinal angiosarcomas are an extremely rare and aggressive vascular tumors, with a few cases reported in the literature.

Presentation of case: A 45 years-old male arrived to our hospital with intermittent gastrointestinal bleeding presenting melena and weight loss, he has antecedent of pelvic radiotherapy ten years before admission for an unknown pelvic tumor. Emergency surgery was required because of uncontrolled bleeding and hemodynamic instability. Histopathological findings revealed a multifocal high-grade epithelioid angiosarcoma, with cells reactive for CD31, keratins CKAE 1/AE3 and factor VIII.

Discussion: Angiosarcomas are aggressive tumors with a high rate of lymph node metastasis and peripheral organs. The diagnosis is difficult because it present nonspecific clinical presentation, radiological and histopathological findings. There are few reports of angiosarcoma involving the small intestine and the most common presentation are abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleeding. There is not enough information for intestinal angiosarcoma secondary to radiation therapy, but there have been proposed criteria for diagnosis: no microscopic or clinical evidence of antecedent malignant lesion, angiosarcoma presented in the field of irradiation, long latency period between radiation and angiosarcoma and histological confirmation. We suspect our patient course with a secondary form of angiosarcoma. Therapy for bleeding angiosarcoma consists in control of bleeding and medical management to stabilize the patient. Once accomplished surgical resection is required.

Conclusion: We should keep in mind this tumors as a cause of obscure intestinal bleeding in patients with medical history of radiation therapy.

Keywords: Intestinal angiosarcoma; Obscure gastrointestinal bleeding; Radiotherapy.