Angiosarcoma in chronic lymphedema a rare case of Stewart-Treves syndrome

The Stewart-Treves Syndrome is defined as an angiosarcoma (very aggressive malignant tumor originating from endothelial cells) appearing in a specific clinical setting. This tumor develops in patients suffering from chronic lymphedema. The diagnosis relies on medical history, clinical examination and histological assesment (biopsy or resection). This syndrome represents a rare clinical entity. It mostly arises from lymphedema induced by radical mastectomy in breast cancer patients. Unfortunately, the prognosis is poor. A large surgical resection is the treatment of choice, if the patient is a candidate for surgical resection with a curative intent. Radiotherapy is sometimes used as a palliative local treatment. Chemotherapy is only used in more advanced cases, not curable by surgery alone. We report a case of angiosarcoma in long standing filarial lymphedematous lower limb in a female patient.