Primary hepatic hemangiosarcoma, accounts for only %0.1- 2 of primary hepatic tumors. Hepatic hemangiosarcoma portends a poor prognosis and most patients die within a year of diagnosis. Hemangiosarcomas do not have an effective therapy ecxept surgery. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy have limited effect. Herein we present a hepatic hemangiosarcoma patient treated with thalidomide. which is an angiogenesis inhibitor.
Case:
69 years old man, complained about upper gastrointestinal pain. Abdominal MRI showed 2 hepatic nodules. He has underwent to laparoscopic biopsy and pathology revealed hepatic angiosarcoma. Hepatic lesions disappeared 8 months after he started angiogenesis inhibitor thalidomide 600 mg I daily. Cervical vertebrae metastasis obtained after he stopped taking the drug because of the neuropahty side affect. He started thalidomide after he received radiation therapy to cervical vertebrae. He is still in complete remission.
Conclusion:
Because of its rarity, the clinicopathologzcal determinants of survival as well as the optimal therapeutc approaches remain unclear for primary hepatic angiosarcomas. Thalidomide which is a putative antiogenesis and immunomodulatory agent that has demonstrated activity m multyple myeloma, Kaposi sarcoma and renal cell Ca, has been used as a potent and safe treatment in hepatic angwsarcoma. But its effectives requires further evaluatwn.
Keywords: Thalidomide, Hepatic Angiosarcoma, Angiogenesis