Definition

Noun: A rare and malignant (cancerous) tumor that originates from the cells lining blood vessels or lymphatic vessels (endothelial cells). It is a type of soft tissue sarcoma.

Usage

This is a highly specific medical term. It is used in clinical, pathological, and oncological contexts to diagnose and classify a particular type of cancer. * The biopsy confirmed the presence of an angiosarcoma. * Angiosarcoma of the breast, though rare, is very aggressive. * Treatment options for cutaneous angiosarcoma are being studied.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often modified by the site of origin (e.g., hepatic angiosarcoma, cardiac angiosarcoma, cutaneous angiosarcoma) to specify its location.
• In pathology reports, it is described based on its microscopic appearance, such as "poorly differentiated angiosarcoma."

Variants and Related Words

• Hemangiosarcoma (n): Often used synonymously with angiosarcoma, though it sometimes specifically denotes a tumor arising from blood vessels.
• Lymphangiosarcoma (n): A malignant tumor arising from the lymphatic vessels.
• Sarcoma (n): The broader category of cancers arising from connective tissues (bone, muscle, fat, blood vessels).

Synonyms

• Malignant hemangioendothelioma (a less common synonym used in medical literature).

Different Meanings

This word has only one specific meaning in modern medical terminology.

Noun

1. a rare malignant neoplasm arising from vascular tissue; usually occurs in the breast and skin and is believed to originate from the endothelial cells of blood vessels