Treatment for angiosarcoma is determined by the stage of the tumor, its location and primary site and the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body. The treatment itself may also be determined by the individual person’s response. Some treatments work well with some individuals and not well with others. Treatment options depend on the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Angiosarcomas are aggressive and tend to recur locally and spread widely.

 

Treatments include:

• Surgical resection
  
• Radio therapy
  
• Chemotherapy

 

Surgical resection is often used with primary angiosarcomas. This treatment for angiosarcoma needs to be done aggressively and it is often difficult to define tumor-free margins. It is difficult to get a completely clear or negative margin at the microscopic level as this tumor can have numerous and irregular vascular channels not easily detected at the cellular level. This is why radiotherapy is often also part of the treatment. Some studies show improved survival when radiotherapy is added to a resection procedure. Radiotherapy is rarely used as a primary treatment.

 

Chemotherapy is also used as a treatment for  angiosarcoma. Depending on the location of the tumor, doctors may inject chemotherapy drugs directly into the tumor site. The combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery is often recommended but the best sequence remains unknown. For the time being, treatment should be individualized. Pre-operative diagnosis and careful surgical planning are crucial. Those patients who are not viable candidates for surgical resection may benefit from chemotherapy or chemo-radiation.

 

Angiogenesis Inhibitors

 

Other drugs that have been showing promise are the angiogenesis inhibitors, i.e. paclitaxel and sorafenib.

 

Angiogenesis inhibitors prevent the formation of new blood vessels so the tumor cannot grow. They also seem to help some chemotherapy and radiotherapy work more effectively when given in combination. The treatment for Angiosarcoma of the face and scalp has particularly shown benefits of using paclitaxel.

 

Researchers are working on other possible treatments for angiosarcoma as this cancer is difficult to treat especially in the advanced stage. Future treatments for angiosarcoma may involve the P53 tumor suppressor gene. This gene has mutated in many cancers which can explain why the body has difficulty dealing with these aggressive tumors. More research is needed to provide doctors with better ways to fight this disease.

 

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 See Also:

    *  Vinyl Chloride Angiosarcoma
    *  Symptoms of Angiosarcoma

 

Angiosarcoma Law Blog