Combined surgical and X-ray treatment for angiosarcoma of the scalp: report of a case with a favourable outcome

Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp: a case report of sustained complete response following liposomal Doxorubicin and radiation therapy

Cutaneous angiosarcomas of the head and neck are aggressive cancers with a mean overall survival of 30 months. We add to the literature a case report of a 65-year-old man with a large, >10 cm, unresectable, angiosarcoma of the scalp who was treated with two cycles of liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx(R)) followed by electron beam radiation therapy (30 Gy in 10 fractions over 2 weeks) who has sustained a complete response with a 4-year follow-up. The dose and fractionation of the radiation therapy in this case was palliative and was not expected to give lasting local control of this lesion. It is therefore possible that either the genetic profile of the tumour conferred radiosensitivity or that the radiation therapy induced a recall phenomenon of the liposomal doxorubicin.

Aortic Angiosarcoma Presenting as Distal Arterial Embolization

Aortic angiosarcoma is a rare, malignant neoplasm of the vasculature, with 24 case reports in the literature. Patients usually present with either aneurysmal or occlusive disease. Treatment consists of en bloc resection of the vessel and contiguous structures with postoperative chemoradiation therapy. Despite surgery and adjunctive measures, prognosis remains dismal as a result of early metastasis and late diagnosis. We report a case of aortic angiosarcoma that presented with distal thromboembolic phenomenon.

Primary angiosarcoma of the cranial vault: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Angiosarcoma is a rare neoplasm. It is most likely to affect the scalp in elderly people and involvement of the cranium is uncommon. We report a case of primary malignant angiosarcoma of the cranial vault.

CASE DESCRIPTION

An 82-year-old man presented with right hemiparesis, deformity of the cranium and mildly swollen scalp. Further studies disclosed bilateral parietal lesions, with destruction of the dura matter and infiltration of the brain parenchyma. Thrombocytopenia was found. Faint enhancement of the lesions was seen on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after i.v. administration of contrast medium with gadolinium. The tumor was excised including the affected portion of the skull and dura matter. Histologic examination revealed typical pictures of angiosarcoma with immunohistochemical evidence of factor VIII-related antigen. Postoperative radiotherapy was employed. The patient remained well at 10 months postoperative follow up.

CONCLUSION

Primary angiosarcoma of the cranium is sometimes difficult to differentiate from trauma on clinical examination. We review the literature pertaining to the pathogenesis, clinical course and treatment of this condition. Determination of platelet count may be helpful in monitoring the progression of the disease. The tumor may show faint enhancement on MRI.

Eradication of metastatic angiosarcoma of the lower extremity. Case report

A 47-year-old man with an angiosarcoma of the right lower extremity was cured with mainly surgery and radiotherapy despite an inguinal metastasis. Histologically, the amputation stump of the metastatic tumour showed invasion by tumour. Radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and treatment with interleukin-2 was added. Ten years later he has had no recurrence.