Calvarial Angiosarcoma: Case Report

A 23-year-old woman was admitted complaining of a lump in the middle occipital region. She had noticed the lump 8 months previously, and it had rapidly increased in size. Physical and neurological examinations were otherwise normal. Plain skull X-rays showed an osteolytic area having a reticular pattern in the occipital bone. Selective external carotid angiography demonstrated feeding arteries from the middle meningeal and occipital arteries. Following its chemical embolization with estrogen, the tumor was totally removed. Histologic study revealed the formation of vascular channels characteristic of sarcoma; the diagnosis was angiosarcoma. The postoperative course was uneventful. However, about 1 year postoperatively the patient developed right hemiparesis and left oculomotor palsy, and she died 6 months later because of tumor infiltration into the midbrain.