Liver angiosarcoma
| Liver angiosarcoma | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hepatic angiosarcoma, angiosarcoma of the liver |
| Specimen of a surgically removed and dissected liver angiosarcoma with visible necrosis and bleeding | |
| Specialty | Oncology |
| Symptoms | Asymptomatic, abdominal pain, weight loss, anorexia, fatigue |
| Complications | Disseminated intravascular coagulation, tumor rupture |
| Usual onset | Age 60-70 |
| Causes | Unknown, exposure to arsenic, thorotrast, vinyl chloride |
| Diagnostic method | Biopsy, imaging |
| Differential diagnosis | Hemangioma, hepatocellular carcinoma |
| Treatment | Surgery, chemotherapy |
| Prognosis | Poor, most die within 6 months |
| Frequency | 200 new diagnoses per year worldwide |
Liver angiosarcoma also known as angiosarcoma of the liver or hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare and rapidly fatal cancer arising from endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of the liver. It is a type of angiosarcoma. Although very rare with around 200 cases diagnosed each year, it is still considered the third most common primary liver cancer, making up around 2% of all primary liver cancers. Liver angiosarcoma can be primary (referred to in literature as PHA or primary hepatic angiosarcoma), meaning it arose in the liver, or secondary, meaning the angiosarcoma arose elsewhere and metastasized to the liver. This article covers PHA, however much is also applicable to secondary tumors.