Abstract
Background: Angiosarcoma is a malignant neoplastic disease that often occurs in older people. The prognosis is poor and treatment effectiveness remains controversial. Objective: We examined cases of scalp angiosarcoma treated in Nagoya City University Hospital from 1985 to 2013 and retrospectively analyzed treatment effectiveness. Methods and materials: We identified 21 scalp angiosarcoma patients and followed up 18 patients among them. Disease-specific survival was calculated by the Kaplan and Meier method and compared between treatments. Results: Median patient age was 75 years, and 14 patients (78%) were over 70 years of age. The 2- and 5-year disease-specific survival was 62.7% and 26.3%, respectively. Overall survival was significantly longer in those receiving radiotherapy or combination therapy with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Thirteen patients (72%) received chemotherapy and 12 patients received taxane-based chemotherapy. Although toxicity occurred in 11 patients receiving taxane-based chemotherapy, most cases were grade 1 or 2. Conclusions: Combination therapy with radiotherapy and taxane-based chemotherapy may be an effective medical treatment for scalp angiosarcoma, and can be performed safely even in older patients
Highlights
Angiosarcoma is a malignant vascular tumor arising from both the vascular and lymphatic endothelium
The number of scalp angiosarcoma patients visiting our hospital has increased with the aging of the population (Figure 1)
Taxane-based chemotherapy was introduced into our hospital in 2005, and it is most commonly used as a combination therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy
Summary
Angiosarcoma is a malignant vascular tumor arising from both the vascular and lymphatic endothelium. The scalp and face are the most common anatomic sites of the disease, which occurs mainly in men and is almost always fatal [1,2]. Scalp angiosarcoma occurs with a predilection for older patients. The number of scalp angiosarcoma patients visiting our hospital has increased with the aging of the population (Figure 1). Taxane-based chemotherapy was introduced into our hospital in 2005, and it is most commonly used as a combination therapy with surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to compare treatment effectiveness. Angiosarcoma is a malignant neoplastic disease that often occurs in older people. The prognosis is poor and treatment effectiveness remains controversial
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
