Docetaxel: A therapeutic option in the treatment of cutaneous angiosarcoma

Abstract

BACKGROUND.Effective treatment options are limited for patients with cutaneous angiosarcoma (AS). Docetaxel, a member of the taxane family of drugs, reportedly has been effective in the treatment of lung, head and neck, and breast cancers. Another taxane drug, paclitaxel, reportedly had unique activity in the treatment of AS of the scalp and neck and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome‐related Kaposi sarcoma. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that docetaxel may be of value in the treatment of cutaneous AS that is resistant to conventional therapy. However, there were only 3 case reports of the successful treatment of AS in elderly patients using docetaxel in combination with surgery and radiotherapy.METHODS.This was a retrospective trial. After written informed consent was obtained, docetaxel was administered intravenously at a dose of 25 mg/m2 for 1 hour weekly over a period of 8 weeks on the basis of previous reports. This treatment regimen was received by 9 patients with cutaneous AS who were treated at Kobe University Hospital between January 2003 and October 2006.RESULTS.Six of the 9 patients who received treatment achieved major responses, including 2 complete responses and 4 partial responses. Neutropenia and peripheral neuropathy were not prominent, although severe radiation dermatitis enhanced by the docetaxel was observed in 3 patients. There were no deaths attributable to this therapy.CONCLUSIONS.The current study demonstrated that docetaxel was effective in patients with cutaneous AS. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.

Treatment and prognosis of angiosarcoma of the scalp and face: a retrospective analysis of 48 patients

“…A meta-analysis of localised soft tissue sarcomas of adults has provided evidence that adjuvant doxorubicin-based chemotherapy is useful in this regard as it significantly improved the distant recurrence-free time [11]. Recently, several reports have indicated that, owing to its angiogenic activity, taxane-based chemotherapy offers clinical benefit to patients with angiosarcoma [8,12]. Isogai et al [12] reported that docetaxel treatment of a patient with angiosarcoma of the scalp with lung metastases resulted in complete remission of lung metastases.…”

“…Therefore, several authors advocated a combination of surgery and radiotherapy for these tumours [3,6,7]. Recently, chemotherapy and immunotherapy using recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) have been studied as potential treatments [8,9]. However, the optimal treatment for these tumours has not been clearly established.…”

Spontaneous regression of chemotherapy-resistant metastases from a scalp angiosarcoma

“…For metastatic angiosarcomas, chemotherapy is the primary choice of treatment 9) . Agents reported to be effective against angiosarcoma are PTX 10,11) , DOC 12,13) , gemcitabine 14) , bevacizumab 15) , and sorafenib 16) . However, it is difficult to prevent the disease from progressing to metastatic angiosarcoma.…”

Angiosarcoma of the Scalp and Face: A Hard to Treat Tumor

“…Isogai et al [25] anti angiogenic effect [26][27][28]. In the Fata et al [27], a response rate of 89% by paclitaxel for angiosarcoma of the scalp or face was noted.…”