malignant hemangioendothelioma
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.
angiosarcoma
An uncommon, aggressive mesenchymal malignancy, arising in the skin, liver, breast, soft tissues and viscera, primarily affecting the elderly; male:female, 2:1.Aetiology Most are idiopathic; some are linked to chronic lymphoedema (as occurs following axillary dissection for breast CA), others to radiation therapy; hepatic angiosarcoma is classically linked exposure to thorium dioxide (a long obsolete contrast medium), and is also associated with arsenic and vinyl chloride.Prognosis Poor, 10–20% 5-year survival.
Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.