Subcutaneous Malignant Hemangioendothelioma Breaking through the Skull: A trial of a New Therapy for a Serious Case

Abstract

We treated a younger case, 47-years-old, with malignant hemangioendothelioma (MHE) arising in the frontal region of the right ear as a rare subcutaneous type. The tumor was excised at another hospital but recurred and metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes immediately. In our hospital, he was then treated with radiotherapy accompanied with chemotherapy and achieved remission. However, seven months later, MHE recurred in the subcutaneous region behind the right ear and then broke through the skull and formed an inter-cranial tumor. He lost consciousness after a sign of the cerebellum. We treated him with a high-dose steroid hormone and X-ray radiation in a limited high dose accompanied with arterial infusion of paclitaxel. He recovered marvelously and returned to his social work for five months. Our results propose a new strategy for the treatment of serious MHE cases.