Abstract
Clinical outcomes following high-dose-rate surface applicator brachytherapy for angiosarcoma of scalp and face
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, NY, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA
- Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Treatment Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Introduction
Angiosarcoma is a sub-type of soft tissue sarcoma, often presenting as a multifocal or diffuse disease process with poor prognosis. This study presents outcomes of a single institution cohort of patients with angiosarcoma of the scalp and face following treatment with multimodality therapy, including high-dose-rate surface applicator (HDR-SA) brachytherapy, and represents the largest cohort utilizing this therapeutic approach.
Material and methods
Twenty patients with primary or recurrent angiosarcoma of the face or scalp were treated with HDR-SA brachytherapy between 2003-2018, with clinical characteristics and outcomes collected from medical records and used to identify prognostic features.
Results
Median follow-up was 45 months. Patients treated with HDR-SA brachytherapy had a 4-year local control rate of 63%, a 4-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate of 20%, and a 4-year overall survival rate of 54%. Disease features associated with worse loco-regional control (LRC) included location on the scalp (vs. face, p = 0.04) and tumor size ≥ 5 cm (p = 0.0099). Outcomes after HDR-SA brachytherapy for salvage therapy vs. HDR-SA brachytherapy as a component of an initial treatment approach were also significantly different, with worse LRC (p = 0.0084) and worse overall survival (OS) (p = 0.0019) in a setting of salvage therapy.
Conclusions
Local control rates following HDR-SA brachytherapy for scalp or face angiosarcoma are moderate and similar to what is described in the literature using a variety of local control treatment modalities. Smaller tumors and those involving the face rather than scalp had better outcomes. PFS rates were poor and there is a pressing need for treatment intensification and novel therapeutic options.
Keywords
HDR brachytherapy, angiosarcoma
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