- The largest study of angiosarcoma published to date describes the incidence and presentation patterns of angiosarcoma, a rare but potentially deadly cancer.
- The study, published in April 2024 in JAMA, found a marked increase in angiosarcoma among women previously treated for cancer, suggesting breast cancer treatment, especially radiation, was causing many of these angiosarcomas.
- Studies of reducing or omitting radiation for breast cancer treatment, as well as multiple new radiation approaches to minimize radiation toxicity, are ongoing at multiple Providence locations.
Angiosarcoma is a form of sarcoma, an often-aggressive type of cancer that forms in the body’s connective tissues, including the bones, muscles, fat, and nerves. While relatively rare, angiosarcoma incidence in the U.S. has increased markedly in recent years. Now, thanks to the largest angiosarcoma study to date, researchers have new evidence of this disease’s incidence, characteristics, and change over time in the U.S. Their findings have significant implications for the future of breast cancer care and research.
The research, a multi-site study co-authored by Drs. Kelly Paulson, Min Park, and Michaela Tsai of Providence Swedish and published in the high-impact journal JAMA Network Open, found that:
- U.S. incidence of angiosarcoma doubled from 2001 (657 newly diagnosed cases) to 2019 (1312 newly diagnosed cases).
- This rapid increase was largely driven by breast/chest wall angiosarcomas in women previously treated for cancer.
- These findings suggest that breast cancer treatment (especially radiation) was causing many of these angiosarcomas.
According to Dr. Paulson, these findings illustrate the need for further studies into the benefits and risks of regional radiation therapy. Several studies related to reducing or omitting radiation for breast cancer treatment, including the Tailor RT trial, as well as multiple new radiation approaches to minimize radiation toxicity, are ongoing at multiple Providence locations.
Dr. Paulson explains, “The hope of this ongoing research is to reduce the number of women who need radiation as part of their treatment, and, ultimately, to reduce the risk of short-term and long-term side effects including secondary cancers like angiosarcoma.”
Multiple Providence sites, including the Swedish Cancer Institute, Providence Queen of the Valley, and Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute, are participating in the Tailor RT trial.
- For more information, read the paper in JAMA
- Learn more about research at Providence at research.providence.org
- Visit the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute website
