Stewart-Treves syndrome
Encyclopedia
Stewart-Treves syndrome refers to an angiosarcoma
arising from chronic
lymphedema
(swelling due to lymphatic obstruction). It typically occurs as a complication of long-lasting lymphedema of the arm after mastectomy
and/or radiotherapy for breast cancer
. It can rarely occur on the leg. The prognosis, even with wide surgical excision and subsequent radiotherapy, is poor.
Angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor of vascular origin. It accounts for less than 1% of all sarcoma
s and is usually located in the skin, breast, liver, and soft tissue.
Angiosarcoma
Angiosarcoma is a malignant neoplasm of endothelial-type cells that line vessel walls. This may be in reference to blood or lymphatic vessels ....
arising from chronic
Chronic (medicine)
A chronic disease is a disease or other human health condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.In medicine, the...
lymphedema
Lymphedema
Lymphedema , also known as lymphatic obstruction, is a condition of localized fluid retention and tissue swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system....
(swelling due to lymphatic obstruction). It typically occurs as a complication of long-lasting lymphedema of the arm after mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
and/or radiotherapy for breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. It can rarely occur on the leg. The prognosis, even with wide surgical excision and subsequent radiotherapy, is poor.
Angiosarcoma is a malignant tumor of vascular origin. It accounts for less than 1% of all sarcoma
Sarcoma
A sarcoma is a cancer that arises from transformed cells in one of a number of tissues that develop from embryonic mesoderm. Thus, sarcomas include tumors of bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, and hematopoietic tissues...
s and is usually located in the skin, breast, liver, and soft tissue.