Cutaneous versus non-cutaneous angiosarcoma: clinicopathologic features and treatment outcomes in 60 patients at a single Asian cancer centre.

Background: Angiosarcoma (AS) is an uncommon soft tissue sarcoma with dismal prognosis that presents either cutaneously (C-AS) or non-cutaneously (NC-AS). We compared the clinical features and treatment outcomes between these 2 groups.

Methods: A single-centre study evaluating 60 AS patients between 2002 and 2012 was performed.

Results: The median age was 70 years. C-AS of the scalp or face comprised 66% of patients. C-AS patients were older than NC-AS (median age 74 vs. 56 years; p < 0.001). Proportionately more C-AS patients presented with non-metastatic disease (86 vs. 50%; p = 0.007). Amongst resected C-AS and NC-AS patients, rates of positive surgical margins (53 vs. 50%; p = 1.00) and adjuvant therapy (25 vs. 43%; p = 0.626) were not significantly different, though proportionately fewer C-AS patients relapsed (36 vs. 78%; p = 0.038). Paclitaxel was the most common agent in first line palliative systemic therapy, achieving an objective response rate of 56%. Median overall survival was 11.2 months, with no significant difference between C-AS and NC-AS (11.3 vs. 9.8 months; p = 0.895).

Conclusion: Distinct from AS in the West, our series demonstrates a clear preponderance of scalp AS. Disparities in clinical characteristics between C-AS and NC-AS did not translate into survival differences.