Survival outcomes for cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp versus face

The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether angiosarcoma outcomes differ for the scalp and face.

We conducted a retrospective outcomes analysis of 50 patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma treated by curative intent identified from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Registry (from 1958 to 2014).

Median survival was 26 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.6-34.6) and median follow-up 29 months. For the scalp and face, respectively, the 5-year locoregional control rate was 9% and 53% (p = .04); the recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate was 5% and 27% (p = .017); and the overall survival (OS) rate was 9% and 26% (p = .017). Scalp lesions were larger, more likely to be multifocal, and presented more rapidly once noticed. In multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, scalp location was independently prognostic for mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 2.10; 95% CI, 1.03-4.28; p = .04).

Scalp angiosarcoma has worse survival than angiosarcoma of the face. Scalp angiosarcoma tends to be larger at presentation, which may be because it is not noticed until more advanced. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1205-1211, 2017.