Abstract
A 78-year-old man was referred to our dermatology department for two dusky red plaques on the forehead. The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous angiosarcoma of the scalp on the basis of histological criteria, and surgical excision of a large area was performed with local injection of rIL-2. But a relapse occurred 3 months later. Therefore the patient received electron beam therapy (68 grays) leading to a decrease of the cutaneous lesion. 50 days later, pneumothorax occurred with local recurrences and metastases to the neck skin and cervical nodes occurred. The patient died as a result of respiratory failure 381 days after the first medical examination. Postmortem examination revealed multiple metastases of the both lungs, diaphragm and liver. These findings suggest that IL-2 therapy and radiation therapy were of limited efficacy in the treatment of angiosarcoma of the scalp. [Skin Cancer (Japan) 2004; 19: 103-106]
