Primary breast angiosarcoma with disseminated intravascular coagulation is successfully treated with self‑subcutaneous unfractionated heparin calcium injection: A case report
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- Published online on: March 17, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2021.2266
- Article Number: 104
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Copyright: © Yagi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.
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Abstract
Angiosarcoma is a rare sarcoma with a poor prognosis and is prone to disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), where DIC often interferes with chemotherapy. Primary angiosarcoma of the breast (PASB) is a type of angiosarcoma that is located in mammary parenchyma and is not associated with radiation exposure. The current study reported a 47‑year‑old female with DIC associated with PASB. The DIC of the patient relapsed during mono‑chemotherapy with paclitaxel (PTX) after first‑line anticoagulant therapy using thrombomodulin‑α. The second‑line danaparoid sodium therapy, followed by self‑subcutaneous injection of unfractionated heparin calcium (UFH), resulted in long‑term stabilization of DIC. Under this second‑line anticoagulant therapy, the patient continued chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy for >13 months in the outpatient setting without impairment of quality of life. The present case suggested that self‑subcutaneous injections of UFH may be a useful therapeutic option for long‑term control of DIC associated with PASB. However, further prospective clinical trails are needed to verify the efficacy of self‑subcutaneous injection of UFH in similar settings.
