Fibrosarcoma following radiotherapy for breast carcinoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract

The 17 patients with fibrosarcoma occurring after radiotherapy for breast carcinoma reported in the literature are the disastrous results of a treatment modality. All the reports concerning the sarcomas share the same feature-aggressive nature with a latent period of 4 years or more. A patient report of fibrosarcoma occurring 2 years after radiotherapy for breast carcinoma with the shortest latent period in the literature is presented and the literature is reviewed. The tumor was localized within an irradiated area and there was a clear histological distinction between the previous and current tumors. The tumor was found to encase the axillary artery and the brachial plexus. For a curative resection, a forequarter amputation was performed and the defect was closed by means of a posterior arm flap. Despite the aggressiveness of the tumors the patient had no distant metastases 1 year after the diagnosis of fibrosarcoma.