Stewart Treves syndrome

Disease Overview

Stewart Treves syndrome is a rare angiosarcoma that develops in people with long-standing lymphedema. Most affected people have a history of breast cancer that was treated with a radical mastectomy. Early signs of the condition vary and may include purplish patches that develop into skin nodules, a mass under the skin, or a poorly healing eschar with recurrent bleeding and oozing. The exact underlying cause of the condition is poorly understood. Although Stewart Treves syndrome is always associated with long-standing lymphedema, other unknown factors also appear to contribute to the development of the condition. Early diagnosis and aggressive surgical treatment may improve the long-term outlook of the condition. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy continue to be studied as possible treatment options and may be recommended in some cases.[13432][13434][13433]

Synonyms

• Angiosarcoma associated with chronic lymphedema
• Postmastectomy extremity angiosarcoma
• Lymphangiosarcoma following mastectomy