Intensified Adjuvant Treatment for High‐Risk Resected Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of the Head and Neck

Abstract

AbstractObjectivePrevious studies have highlighted the poor survival of patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck. Therapeutic options are limited, and effective treatment strategies are yet to be discovered. The objective of this study is to evaluate overall survival following intensified adjuvant treatment for high‐risk resected angiosarcoma of the head and neck.Study DesignRetrospective observational.SettingNational Cancer Database (NCDB).MethodsPatients diagnosed with nonmetastatic cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck from 2004 to 2016 were identified by NCDB. We retrospectively compared demographics and overall survival between patients who received surgery and radiation therapy (SR) and patients who received surgery and chemoradiation (SRC). The χ2 test, Kaplan‐Meier method, and Cox regression models were used to analyze data.ResultsA total of 249 patients were identified, of which 79.5% were treated with surgery and radiation alone and 20.5% were treated with surgery and chemoradiation. The addition of chemotherapy, regardless of the sequence of administration, was not associated with significantly higher overall survival. Factors associated with worse survival in both groups included positive nodal status and positive margins. Patients with positive nodes had higher overall survival with radiation doses >50.4 Gy compared to ≤50.4 Gy (hazard ratio: 2.93, confidence interval: 1.60‐5.36, p < 0.001).ConclusionAdjuvant chemotherapy was not significantly associated with higher overall survival for resected nonmetastatic angiosarcoma of the head and neck. Higher radiation doses appear to be prognostic for high‐risk diseases.