ABSTRACT

Stewart-Treves syndrome is an angiosarcoma that occurs because of chronic lymphedema, which in most cases is a complication after mastectomy with axillary node dissection and postoperative radiation. Prognosis for this rare tumor is poor. The best therapy is early and radical excision. Chronic lymphedema seems to be an important pathogenic factor. We report a 59-year-old patient with chronic lymphedema and lymphangiosarcoma of the left upper limb who had a left modified radical mastectomy with axillary node dissection and postoperative radiation nine years ago. Additionally, the patient underwent a right modified radical mastectomy with axillary node dissection and postoperative radiation one year ago. In this report, we present a case of Stewart-Treves syndrome after the patient was operated for bilateral breast carcinoma, a review of literature, and principles of treatment.