Alveolar soft part sarcoma of bone

Primary intraosseous alveolar soft part sarcoma: Report of two cases with radiologic-pathologic correlation

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) accounts for less than 1 % of all soft tissue sarcomas. ASPS presents a poor prognosis and develops frequent metastases, especially in the lungs, brain and bones. Current therapies, such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, are not fully effective and other alternative treatments are currently being studied. ASPS is predominantly found in the deep soft tissues of the lower extremities. To our knowledge, only thirteen primary intraosseous ASPS have been reported in the literature. In this study, we report two new cases of this exceedingly rare entity. Both cases already had multiple metastases since diagnosis; one of them represents the first case of a primary bone ASPS in the ulna and is also the primary intraosseous ASPS with the longest reported case of survival, after having maintained long periods of stabilization despite not having received any systemic treatment.

Imaging features of alveolar soft-part sarcoma: a report from Children's Oncology Group Study ARST0332

OBJECTIVE

There are few studies in the literature regarding the imaging features of alveolar soft-part sarcoma (ASPS). We performed a comprehensive assessment of the imaging characteristics of this rare tumor to determine whether there are features that suggest the diagnosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-two subjects with ASPS underwent pretherapy imaging as part of enrollment in Children's Oncology Group protocol ARST0332 for the treatment of nonrhabdomyosarcoma soft-tissue sarcomas: 16 patients underwent MRI; three, CT; and three, both MRI and CT. Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed the imaging studies by consensus and recorded tumor location, size, contour, internal architecture, signal characteristics, presence of flow voids, and enhancement patterns.

RESULTS

The 12 females and 10 males in the study group ranged in age from 8 to 23 years 7 months (mean, 15 years 8 months). The most common anatomic site was the lower extremity (12/22, 55%) followed by the upper extremity (4/22, 18%). The maximal tumor diameter ranged from 2.3 to 20.0 cm (median, 5.9 cm). All tumors imaged with MRI had flow voids (19/19, 100%), and 19 (19/22, 86%) had large peripheral vessels, lobulated margins, and nodular internal architecture. Unenhanced T1-weighted MRI was available for 18 tumors: 14 (14/18, 78%) appeared slightly hyperintense to muscle. Of the 16 tumors imaged with contrast material, 11 (11/16, 69%) showed intense enhancement and five (5/16, 31%), moderate enhancement. Six tumors (6/16, 38%) had a thick enhancing peripheral rim with a nonenhancing center consistent with necrosis.

CONCLUSION

The imaging features of ASPS include flow voids, large peripheral vessels, internal nodularity, and lobulated margins. Contrast administration produces intense to moderate enhancement, sometimes with a thick enhancing peripheral rim around central necrosis. Extremity tumors with these imaging features in a child or young adult should suggest the diagnosis of ASPS.

Clavicular and meningeal alveolar soft part sarcoma: An unusual case and literature review

INTRODUCTION

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) commonly arises in the soft tissue of the lower extremities. Primary bone involvement is rare.

METHODS/RESULTS

We report a 23-year-old male who presented with pathologic fracture of the clavicle, and diagnosis of clavicular ASPS. Workup demonstrated a lumbar meningeal mass, also involving the vertebral bodies.

CONCLUSIONS

Few cases of primary bone ASPS have been identified. Most common primary bone involvement includes the fibula, ilium and tibia. Likewise, meningeal involvement is quite rare. In summary, primary bone ASPS is rare and may involve the clavicle. Meningeal involvement is likewise rare, and presumably represents metastatic spread.

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma in the sacrum: a case report and review of the literature

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare disease of the soft tissue. Although the disease is rare, it is refractory to chemotherapy and radiation. En bloc surgical resection offers the best chance of cure. In this article we report the case of a 28-year-old woman who presented with buttock and leg pain, bowel, bladder and gait impairment and a large mass in the sacrum. Following surgical excision, the lesion was proven to be ASPS. On pathology, the mass was TFE3 (transcription factor E3) positive, indicating the presence of the ASPL-TFE3 (novel gene-transcription factor) translocation. Following surgery, the patient had improvement in her pain and ambulation; however, she refused adjuvant therapy to pursue hospice care and succumbed to her disease 2 years after surgery. On a review of the literature, it was found that ASPS of the bone constitutes a rare and formidable subset of this disease. Further, metastases related to ASPS are common in the lungs, liver, brain, and lymph nodes. The degree of dissemination is a predictor of outcome, with 5-year survival of 81-88% in patients with local disease and only 20-46% in patients with metastatic disease at the time of presentation. Brain metastases at the time of presentation portend the worst prognosis.

Primary alveolar soft part sarcoma of vertebra: a case report and literature review

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor, which rarely occurs in bone. We present a case of ASPS in a 23-year-old man with a 2-month history of back pain. Computed tomography scanning and magnetic resonance images demonstrated a destructive process in the 12th thoracic vertebra associated with a unilateral soft tissue mass. The tumor showed evidence of hypervascularity on MRI; it obviously was enhanced on T1-weighted images after injection of Gd-GDPA, and signal voids were shown on all pulse sequences which may help to differentiate ASPS from other tumors of the vertebra. We believe that this is the first case of ASPS arising in a vertebra.

Primary alveolar soft part sarcoma of fibula demonstrating ASPL-TFE3 fusion: a case report and review of the literature

Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor typically affecting young adults. These tumors are most often seen in the deep soft tissues of the extremities and patients generally present with advanced disease. Primary bone involvement is extremely rare and has only been reported in seven cases. This is the first case of alveolar soft part sarcoma in bone documenting the ASPL-TFE3 gene product. Herein, we report a rare presentation of alveolar soft part sarcoma presenting as a primary bone neoplasm involving the proximal fibula in a 41-year-old woman.