Cutaneous Angiosarcoma: Clinical and Pathology Study of 16 Cases.
OBJECTIVE
Primary cutaneous angiosarcoma is one of the most aggressive skin tumors and carries a very poor prognosis. Its initially indolent clinical presentation explains the frequently late diagnosis that, together with its typically multifocal pattern and poor delimitation, often makes surgery difficult. The low incidence of primary cutaneous angiosarcoma means that few large single-center series have been published. We review the clinical and pathologic characteristics of cutaneous angiosarcomas treated in our hospital, looking for prognostic factors and for possible diagnostic traits that could facilitate early diagnosis.


METHODS
This was a retrospective observational study including all patients diagnosed with cutaneous angiosarcoma in Instituto Valenciano de Oncología in Valencia, Spain between January 2000 and December 2015. We recorded 16 clinical parameters, including age, sex, type of angiosarcoma, site, size, and time since diagnosis, and 8 histopathologic parameters.


RESULTS
We identified 16 patients (11 women and 5 men) with cutaneous angiosarcoma. Their mean age was 67 years (median, 71 years). The most common site was the trunk (10 cases), followed by the head and neck (5 cases). The mean size of the tumor was 10cm (median, 6.5cm). Fourteen patients underwent surgical excision. Six of the 16 patients were alive at the end of the study, after a mean follow-up period of 42.5 months.


CONCLUSIONS
The major determinants of survival among patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma are tumor size and patient age. Other characteristics associated with a poor prognosis were infiltration of deep planes (muscle), a predominantly solid histologic pattern, and a larger number of mitoses.
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España. Electronic address: celiareq@hotmail.com.
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Requena
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Sendra
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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B
Llombart
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Sanmartín
Servicio de Dermatología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Guillén
Servicio de Oncología, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Lavernia
Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Traves
Servicio de Anatomía Patológica, Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, España.
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Cruz
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006394:Hemangiosarcoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy
Angiosarcoma cutáneo; Angiosarcoma posradioterapia; Cutaneous angiosarcoma; Factores pronósticos; Postradiotherapy angiosarcoma; Prognostic factors