Angiosarcoma of the small intestine: a possible role for thalidomide?

An 85-yr-old male presented with complaints of a 40-lb weight loss and a dull left upper quadrant abdominal pain. He also complained of decreased appetite, generalized weakness, generally not feeling well, and a dull left upper quadrant abdominal pain that was not relieved by food. He had a ventral and a left-sided inguinal hernia. Laboratory investigations revealed iron deficiency anemia, the cause of which was not apparent despite extensive investigation including computerized tomographic scans, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and small-bowel follow-through examination. Surgical exploration for possible angiodysplasia, malignancy, and/or mesenteric ischemia revealed an incarcerated hernia, and the histopathological examination of the surgical specimen revealed high-grade angiosarcoma. The tumor showed strong positivity for vimentin and CD31 and a focal positivity for Factor VIII and CD34. At that time he was found to have hepatic metastases. He was started on thalidomide as an experimental measure with no change in the performance status and increasing evidence of necrosis in the metastatic lesion.