Hemangiosarcoma is an aggressive vasoformative cancer of dogs with a site predilection for organs with well-developed vascular networks such as spleen, heart, liver, skin, lungs, kidney, omentum, muscle, bone marrow, and brain. Overall, the same organs are affected in dogs, mice, and humans with idiopathic, non-viral, primary angiosarcomas; but the relative frequency appears to be species-specific. The spleen is the most common site for hemangiosarcoma in dogs; the liver is the most common site for hemangiosarcoma in mice, and the skin and soft tissues are the most common sites for hemangiosarcoma in people. Recent molecular studies have begun to define traits associated with risk, and changed our understanding of the pathogenesis of hemangiosarcoma, from cell of origin, to natural history, to mechanisms of metastasis,4 and enabling development of new, effective therapies for this disease.
展开▼
