Angiosarcoma associated with foreign body material. A report of three cases.

The production of tumors through solid-state mechanisms has been demonstrated in experimental animals, but foreign body tumorigenesis has not been proven definitively in man. The authors report three patients with angiosarcoma that occurred in intimate association with foreign material retained for prolonged periods. Although several etiologic factors have been defined in angiosarcoma, foreign bodies generally are not appreciated to have this potential. Review of the literature disclosed six cases of angiosarcoma and 40 cases of sarcomas of other histologic types associated with foreign material, with latency periods of from 4 months to 63 years. Implanted foreign material thus should be considered capable of inducing virtually any form of sarcoma in humans.