Stewart-Treves syndrome--treatment and outcome in six patients from a single centre.
OBJECTIVE
Stewart-Treves syndrome is an angiosarcoma associated with long-standing lymphoedema, most commonly seen as a rare complication of breast cancer treatment, and is associated with a poor outcome. We present results from six patients supporting the use of early radical surgery to improve prognosis.


METHODS
Six patients with Stewart-Treves syndrome were diagnosed and treated at our centre over an 11-year period. Five patients had forequarter amputation and the sixth had a through-hip amputation.


RESULTS
Four of the six patients are alive and well following surgery (at 3, 16, 23, and 135 months after amputation); one patient died from metastatic disease at 15 months and the second died due to an unrelated malignancy.


CONCLUSIONS
Early diagnosis and treatment by radical ablative surgery confers a reasonable prognosis with this rare but aggressive disease. A nihilistic approach is unjustified.
Roy
P
P
Sarcoma and Melanoma Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Trust, 203 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London SW3 6JJ, UK.
Clark
M A
MA
Thomas
J M
JM
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D001132:Arm / Q000601:surgery; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000601:surgery; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000601:surgery; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013577:Syndrome; D016896:Treatment Outcome