Secondary Breast Angiosarcoma After a Primary Diagnosis of Breast Cancer

Abstract

Objectives: Angiosarcoma is a rare complication of breast-conserving therapy. This study evaluated the change in incidence between 1992 and 2016 of secondary breast angiosarcoma (SBA) in patients with a history of breast cancer and the impact of management strategies for the original breast carcinoma on angiosarcoma treatment. Methods: Breast cancer and angiosarcoma cases were abstracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database. SBAs were defined as angiosarcomas located in the breast occurring after a prior breast cancer diagnosis. Primary breast angiosarcomas (PBAs) were defined as an angiosarcoma diagnosis listed as “one primary only.” Incidence rates were estimated using a proportion of the US total population. Survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the association of clinicopathologic characteristics on overall survival. Results: Between 1992 and 2016, 193 cases of SBA were reported in the SEER dataset in patients with a prior history of breast cancer. The incidence of breast angiosarcoma in patients with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer increased 3-fold from about 10 cases per 100,000 person-years to about 30 cases per 100,000 person-years over this same period (P=0.0037). For treatment of SBA (n=193), almost all (95%) had surgery. Nine percent received radiation (compared with 35% of patients with PBA, P<0.001) and 23% received chemotherapy (vs. 45% for PBA, P=0.11). Conclusions: We demonstrate an increasing incidence of SBA over the study period. These data can help inform shared decision-making for optimal management of locoregional breast cancer and raise awareness of secondary angiosarcoma.