Surgical Treatment and Prognosis of Angiosarcoma of the Scalp: A Retrospective Analysis of 14 Patients in a Single Institution

Abstract

Objective. We describe specific surgical methods for angiosarcoma regarding extent of resection and reconstructive options and assess their effect on patients’ prognosis.Patients and Methods. We retrospectively examined 14 patients undergoing treatment for angiosarcoma of the scalp at our institute between January 2000 and June 2015. Surgical treatment comprised wide excision of the tumor and reconstruction using a free flap with skin graft. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to assess the survival parameters. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the association between risk factors and outcome parameters.Results. Mean patient age at diagnosis was 69 years, and the mean follow-up period was 17 months. The overall 5- and 2-year survival rates were 15% and 75%, respectively, whereas the 5- and 2-year disease-free survival rates were 7.7% and 38.7%, respectively. The mean survival duration was 32 months. Metastatic tumor dissemination to the lung or brain was closely associated with the major cause of death. Only a deep excision margin was significantly related to the recurrence rate.Conclusions. Cases of angiosarcoma had a poor prognosis despite the aggressive treatments. Sufficient resection margins are essential for controlling local recurrence. The effect of multidisciplinary approaches needs to be explored.