CUTANEOUS ANGIOSARCOMA ARISING IN THE RADIATION SITE OF A CONGENITAL HEMANGIOMA

We describe a patient in whom angiosarcoma developed at the site of a hemangioma that was treated during infancy with radiation for refracto ry thrombocytopenia. Our findings, along with those of the 10 reported cases from the world literature, are summarized. One third of angiosa rcomas arise in the skin. They most often show one of three clinical p atterns. First and most common is occurrence as a bruiselike lesion on the scalp or face of an elderly person. Second in frequency is the St ewart-Treves syndrome. Third and least common is angiosarcoma developi ng as a sequela of previous radiation therapy. The prognosis in genera l is poor, with a mean survival length of 24 months and a 5-year survi val rate of 10%. Effective treatment relies on early diagnosis and wid e-margin surgical excision.