Preoperative radiation therapy for an extremity hemangiopericytoma: a case report

Hemangiopericytoma is a rare vascular malignancy, comprising approximately 1% of all vascular neoplasms, and arises from the pericytes of Zimmerman.1 It was first described by Stout in 1949.2 The most common sites of presentation are the lower extremity, axilla, pelvis, retroperitoneum, and head and neck.3,4 Most patients present with a mass or localized pain. The lesions are histologically similar to solitary fibrous tumors, and because of this similarity, previous work on the identification and appropriate therapy for this rare malignancy is complicated by the likely inclusion of perhaps a more aggressive sarcoma in retrospective reviews.5 Management of these tumors is best planned in a multidisciplinary arena with orthopedic oncologists,