Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Angiosarcomas of the Breast: An Asian Institutional Perspective

Abstract

Angiosarcomas of the breast (ASB) are rare, making up to less than 8% of all angiosarcomas. The surgical management for this disease continues to vary throughout centres worldwide due to the current limited evidence. We aim to examine the necessity of axillary lymph node dissection in this pathology through a retrospective study of axillary metastasis and recurrence patterns in patients treated at our institution. A retrospective review of a prospectively-maintained database was performed. All adult patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of ASB seen at the National Cancer Centre Singapore between 2006 and 2019 were identified. Axillary lymph node status, treatment, survival, and recurrence data were collated. Thirteen patients were identified with a confirmed diagnosis of ASB, of which there were 11 primary and 2 secondary angiosarcoma cases. Eight patients had some form of axillary lymph node dissection and 5 did not. No positive nodes were found in any examined axillary nodes despite high median number of nodes harvested (13, range 8-24). 5/13 patients had disease progression, of whom none had locoregional recurrence to the axilla. ASB continues to be rare and recurrent and presents as a challenge to treat. Axillary lymph node involvement is most likely not present in a majority of patients. Prophylactic removal is unwarranted in patients presenting without lymph node involvement due to the lack of axillary metastasis.