Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp masquerading as a squamous cell carcinoma: case report and literature review.
BACKGROUND
Cutaneous angiosarcoma is a rare tumor of the elderly male, most commonly affecting the head and neck region. It is difficult to differentiate this tumor from hemangiomas, hemangioblastomas, Kaposi sarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma and anaplastic melanomas.


METHODS
Case report and review of pertinent English medical literature.


METHODS
We report a case of a 60-year-old male presenting with multiple nodules over the scalp where a preoperative histopathologic diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma was made by wedge biopsy from the tumor. Postoperative histopathology and immuno histochemistry of the wide local excision specimen proved the tumor to be cutaneous angiosarcoma and the patient completed adjuvant radiotherapy. He is now on regular follow-up for 1 year without recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Cutaneous angiosarcoma must be kept in mind in view of its rarity especially in extensive involvement of the scalp by malignancy. The primary treatment is wide local excision with adequate skin cover and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy in positive margins and lymph node metastasis.
Department of Surgical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospitals, Mumbai, India.
Padmanabhan
P
Dhanasekar
Vilvapathy Senguttuvan
VS
Karthikeyan
Nagarajan
N
Rajkumar
Sarath
S
Chandra Sistla
S
S
Manwar Ali
Debdatta
D
Basu
Munisamy
M
Malathi
D001706:Biopsy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012535:Scalp / Q000473:pathology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery