Hemangiopericytoma of the head and neck

Hemangiopericytomas are uncommon neoplasms of vascular origin that may arise in the head and neck. Their rare occurrence and variable malignant potential have limited attempts to characterize their clinical behavior. This study reviews the experience in treating hemangiopericytomas of the head and neck at a single institution.

Retrospective.

The records of 12 patients with hemangiopericytomas of the head and neck presenting between 1979 and 1995 were reviewed. Site of origin included the neck (4), oral cavity (3), parotid (2), orbit (1), maxillary sinus (1) and mandible (1). Five patients had lesions characterized as high or intermediate grade histologically, and six had lesions characterized as low grade.

Nine patients were treated with curative intent; three presented either with pulmonary metastasis (2) or unresectable primaries (1) and were treated with radiation therapy and/or palliative Adriamycin-based chemotherapy. Patients treated with curative intent underwent a variety of surgical resections dictated by tumor location and size. Four patients received postoperative radiation therapy to a median dose of 60 Gy, for positive surgical margins (2), high-grade histology (1) or a recurrent lesion (1). Five-year overall survival in patients treated surgically was 87.5%. A single mortality occurred in a patient with a recurrent high-grade lesion who failed at local, regional, and distant sites. Median follow-up of survivors was 73 months.

The clinical behavior of hemangiopericytomas appears to be related to their histological grade. Aggressive local therapy including surgery and radiation therapy appears to be effective in providing tumor control.