Angiosarcoma of the scalp in a 79-year-old male: A case report

ABSTRACT

Introduction@#Angiosarcoma is a rare head and neck sarcoma of vascular endothelial cell origin. We report a case of angiosar- coma in an elderly male, and the multidisciplinary approach employed in his treatment.@*Case report@#A 79-year-old male presented with a 4-month history of a rapidly enlarging black, soft, immovable tumor surround- ed by bruise-like patches over the right temporoparietal scalp. There was associated pruritus and bleeding when scratched. Dermoscopy showed bluish black crusts over the tumor, and surrounding violaceous patches. Wedge biopsy revealed a dermis with irregular vascular spaces infiltrating dermis, lined by atypical endothelial cells. Immunohistochemistry of the atypical in- filtrative cells was positive for CD31. These findings were consistent with angiosarcoma. The patient underwent wide excision with a rotational flap and split thickness skin graft. Postoperatively, the patient was referred to Oncology for adjuvant radiation therapy.@*Conclusion@#Even with treatment, the prognosis of angiosarcoma remains poor due to its aggressive nature, with a 5-year sur- vival rate ranging from 10-54%. However, early detection of the disease may increase patient survival rates. This rare case shows the importance of maintaining a high level of suspicion for lesions that have an atypical presentation to prevent delays in man- agement and improve patient outcomes.