Stewart-Treves syndrome and the use of positron emission tomographic scanning.

ABSTRACT

In this article, we provide an account of two rare cases of Stewart-Treves syndrome, that is, cutaneous angiosarcoma secondary to lymphedema, treated at our center. Unusually, both occurred in the lower extremity. The first case was treated initially with a wide local excision, followed by a further re-excision, and eventually an above-the-knee amputation because of recurrence. In the second case, a hindquarter amputation was undertaken after a positron emission tomographic scan, which revealed the extent and spread of the lesions. In cases of cutaneous angiosarcoma, a positron emission tomographic scan can be extremely helpful in demonstrating the extent of subcutaneous spread and planning surgical management.