Bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax and multiple pulmonary cavitary lesions as manifestations of metastatic scalp-neck angiosacarma: A case report and literature review

Angiosarcoma is a rare high-grade neoplasm. Very few articles have reported the causes of death in angiosarcoma patients. This report describes an angiosarcoma indicated case and analyzes the cause of death. An elderly, female patient of scalp angiosarcoma had heterotepic recurrence and neck metastasis later, even though she had undergone wide excision and local flap reconstruction initially. She died of acute pulmonary failure within two weeks after the development of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax with multiple pulmonary cavitary lesions. Metastasis to the lungs, with specific presentation, is considered to be the cause of death. Characteristic clinical features and histopathology are reported here with detailed literature review. Because of the rapid progression of the angiosarcoma, early diagnosis and early aggressive treatment are mandatory to salvage angiosarcoma patients.