[Multifocal epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with partial remission after interferon alfa-2a treatment].

INTRODUCTION: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumour of the soft tissue having an intermediate malignancy. Cutaneous presentations have exceptionally been reported. OBSERVATION: A young woman, initially affected by an EHE with cutaneous and bone involvement, then with pulmonary and hepatic localizations, was in partial remission after one year of treatment with alpha 2a interferon. DISCUSSION: In a critical review of the literature, we describe the main features of this tumour and the difficulties to classify this entity in the vascular tumors' spectrum. Histologically, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma has a very characteristic appearance and is clearly different from other vascular tumors as angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia and Kimura's disease. The assumption of a multicentric or a metastatic origin when multiple tumor deposits are found, is still not elucidated. Different therapeutic approaches are proposed: surgery, interferon, interleukin-2, retinoids. Randomized studies would be necessary to confirm our results with alpha 2a interferon but are probably difficult to realize because of the lack of cases.