ANGIOSARCOMA OF THE FACE AND SCALP IN THE ELDERLY

Cutaneous angiosarcoma of the face and scalp is an uncommon and extrem ely aggressive neoplasm, occurring mostly in elderly persons. It is of ten detected after local trauma that produces bleeding. This fact, alo ng with its low incidence, can cause diagnosis to be delayed. In gener al, the prognosis is poor due to late diagnosis. Tumor size is the mos t important prognostic factor in cutaneous angiosarcoma. Therefore, it is important to make an early diagnosis and confirm it by histopathol ogical techniques. It has been shown that anti-CD-31 antibodies are on e of the most specific endothelial cell markers. Several other immunoh istochemical markers should however be used, in order to avoid misdiag nosis. Treatment should be based on a combination of surgical excision and holocranial radiotherapy, because of its multifocal nature. Howev er, large trials comparing different therapeutic modalities are diffic ult to perform, because of the rarity of this neoplasm. Herein we pres ent a case of cutaneous angiosarcoma of the face and scalp, that showe d particularly aggressive behavior.