Sarcoma of the aorta: report of a case and review of the literature.

Tumors of the aorta are extremely rare and usually malignant. We report the case of a sarcoma of the infrarenal aorta in a 67-year-old man. Initial symptoms were metastatic cutaneous nodules and lower extremity claudication. Aortography and computerized tomography of the abdomen revealed a fungating mass obstructing the aortic bifurcation. Treatment consisted of resection of the aorta, aortobiiliac bypass, and combined radiation and chemotherapy. Death occurred six months after treatment. Twenty-seven cases of angiosarcoma reported in the literature are reviewed.