Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp: A case report and literature review

Abstract

Angiosarcoma (AS) is a rare aggressive sarcoma that occurs mostly in the skin of the head and neck in the elderly population. AS of the scalp is associated with high rates of local recurrence and a poor prognosis. Patients with typical presenting symptoms can be diagnosed clinically, but the precise pathological diagnosis should be performed by an expert pathologist. Angiosarcoma requires aggressive and comprehensive treatment by a multidisciplinary team, because a multimodal approach improves survival. The mainstay of treatment is surgical resection and adjuvant radiation therapy, but failure rates following local therapy are high. The chemotherapy is used in cases of metastatic or unresectable scalp angiosarcoma. We describe the case of a 38-year-old woman who presented with lesions nodular on the scalp. The biopsy with histological study demonstrated an angiosarcoma. A computed tomography scan revealed multiple pulmonary metastasis, she received intravenous paclitaxel, the scalp and lung lesions significantly diminished after 3 month of treatment.