A case of divided latissimus dorsi flap repair for chest wall defect after wide resection of post-irradiation angiosarcoma

We report the case of a 76-year-old woman who had undergone breast-conserving surgery for left breast cancer, followed by irradiation at a total dose of 66 Gy in 2005. When 5 years 1 month had elapsed after the operation, redness of the left chest wall was observed. A biopsy was performed and the histopathological diagnosis was angiosarcoma. Extended resection of the full thickness of the skin was performed. Adequate resection left a massive defect 15 x 18 cm in size. The divided latissimus dorsi flap was designed, and the oval-shaped skin defect was closed with the skin island of this flap. Post-irradiation sarcoma involving the vessels is a rare entity and occurs in 0.07-0.48% of all cases after radiation therapy. It metastasizes to the distant organs in an early stage and has a poor prognosis. No standard therapy for the disease has been established. Early detection and extended resection are considered to contribute to improvement of the prognosis. The divided latissimus dorsi flap is very useful for reconstructing a wide chest wall defect without the need to wide skin graft the donor site. (author)