Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck: report of 23 cases from a single institution.

BACKGROUND

To report a single-institution experience in the treatment of cutaneous head and neck angiosarcoma.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty-three patients were evaluated: 12 females and 11 males. The primary site of the lesion was the neck in 9 patients, the scalp in 9, and the face in 5. No patient had been submitted to previous treatment but 10 were submitted to incisional biopsy. The lesions' size ranged from 2.5 to 12 cm (median 4 cm).

RESULTS

All but one patient were submitted to surgical resection as primary treatment. Twenty-two patients received adjuvant treatment: 8 cases of local recurrence and 12 cases of distant metastasis. Two patients presented synchronous local and distant relapses. The 5-year survival rate was 21.7 percent. In our series, the only factor affecting survival was histological grade (odds ratio = 6.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-28.9).

CONCLUSION

Our results for 5-year survival are comparable to those in the literature with a treatment based on complete surgical resection. The only significant prognostic factor was tumor histological grade.