Cutaneous Angiosarcoma of Head and Neck - A Single-Centre Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Dermatopathology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the head and neck is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis.
• Diagnosis is often delayed, contributing to unfavorable outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes of head and neck cutaneous angiosarcoma.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of multimodal treatment strategies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 8 Caucasian patients diagnosed with head and neck cutaneous angiosarcoma.
• Histopathology, immunohistochemistry (CD31, CD34, Ki67, CK, ERG, etc.), and AJCC staging were used.
• Treatment modalities included surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and multimodal approaches.

Main Results:

• Mean age of patients was 79 years, with a mean diagnostic delay of 7.8 months.
• Multimodal treatment was administered to 5 out of 8 patients.
• The mean overall survival was 26.4 months.

Conclusions:

• Head and neck cutaneous angiosarcoma is aggressive, necessitating multimodal treatment due to large tumor size and patient age.
• Multimodal therapy yields better outcomes than single-modality treatments.
• Stealth liposomal doxorubicin presents a safer therapeutic option for elderly patients.