Primary angiosarcoma in non-irradiated parotid gland – Very unusual malignant tumour

Primary Parotid Angiosarcoma in a 66-year-old Man First Presented as Neck Lymph Node Metastasis: Pitfall Diagnosis with Review of Literature

“…Our case was a 66-year-old man, who presented with lymphatic metastatis of angiosarcoma at the outset and further investigations were performed to find the primary origin of the tumor, as, unlike most other patients, our patient did not experience any swelling or facial nerve palsy as initial symptoms of the disease. Angiosarcomas show a wide range of histological differentiation, from a well-differentiated neoplasm showing anastomosing vascular channels lined by atypical epithelial cells with low mitotic activity to poorly-differentiated tumors without creating vascular channels composed of solid sheets of epithelioid or spindle-shaped cells ( 7 , 8 ). Fanburg-Smith et al stated that the most common morphologic type of angiosarcoma is solid spindle-shaped, however almost one-third of oral and salivary gland angiosarcomas are of the epithelioid variant ( 2 ).…”

“…There is a relationship between the prognosis and size, stage, and site of the angiosarcoma. Lesions greater than 5 cm have a poor prognosis ( 4 , 6 ), and angiosarcoma of the scalp have a worse outcome ( 2 , 7 ). In our case, angiosarcoma was smaller than 5 cm in its greatest dimension.…”

“…In our case, angiosarcoma was smaller than 5 cm in its greatest dimension. Other prognostic factors include histologic grade, presence of local extension to the skin, bone, neuromuscular structures, and positive surgical margins ( 2 , 4 , 7 , 10 ). Metastatic spread is usually through hematogenous, and a common site of involvement is the lung ( 2 , 4 ).…”

“…It is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor of the endothelial cells lining blood vessels or lymphatic channels ( 1 - 10 ). The most commonly affected sites include soft tissues, skin, trunk, bone, retroperitoneum, breast, extremities, kidney, and some other organs ( 2 , 3 , 7 ). The malignancy occurs more frequently in elderly men ( 4 , 7 , 8 ).…”

“…The most commonly affected sites include soft tissues, skin, trunk, bone, retroperitoneum, breast, extremities, kidney, and some other organs ( 2 , 3 , 7 ). The malignancy occurs more frequently in elderly men ( 4 , 7 , 8 ).…”