Self-healing pseudoangiosarcoma. Unusual vascular proliferation resembling a vascular malignancy of the skin

BENIGN LYMPHANGIOENDOTHELIOMA

The authors describe modern data relating to the definition, clinical, pathological and immunohistochemical features of a rare vascular tumor — benign lymphangioendothelioma. The problems of differential diagnosis with Kaposi’s sarcoma and angiosarcoma are discussed. This is the first description of this tumorin domestic literature.

Benign lymphangioendothelioma (acquired progressive lymphangioma): a lesion not to be confused with well-differentiated angiosarcoma and patch stage Kaposi's sarcoma: clinicopathologic analysis of a series

The clinicopathologic features of 12 cases of benign lymphangioendothelioma (acquired progressive lymphangioma) are reported. There were five male and seven female patients. Age at diagnosis ranged from 17 to 90 years (median age, 54 yrs). Development of a single macular/papular hemangiomatous or pigmented lesion was the main presenting symptom. Symptom duration before diagnosis ranged from 2 months to 20 years (median, 5.5 yrs). Tumor size ranged from 0.3 cm to 10 cm (median. 1.5 cm). Location included skin of the head and neck (n = 5), back (n = 1), breast (n = 1), shoulder (n = 1), forearm (n = 1), plantar aspect of the foot (n = 2), and oral mucosa (n = 1). No patient had any other concomitant vascular anomaly (for example, lymphangiomatosis) or was suspected to have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Treatment consisted of excisional biopsy in nine patients, incisional biopsy in two, and wide excision in one. Follow-up information on nine patients (range, 4-40 mos; median, 12 mos) showed two local recurrences in one patient. Microscopically, the lesions consisted of anastomosing, often widely dilated vascular structures developing in the superficial dermis. As the lesion grew within deeper dermis, the vascular spaces collapsed and dissected the dermal collagen in an angiosarcoma-like pattern. The lining endothelium was flat and monolayered, with little or no cytologic atypia and no evident mitoses. Some vascular structures contained stromal papillary projections resembling papillary endothelial hyperplasia, and intravascular red blood cells were present occasionally. Immunohistochemistry performed in eight specimens showed variable endothelial cell reactivity for CD31 (7 of 8), CD34 (7 of 7), and factor VIII-related antigen (4 of 6). A smooth muscle cell layer was observed focally around the vascular spaces in six lesions. Benign lymphangioendothelioma (acquired progressive lymphangioma) is an uncommon benign lesion that, in view of major differences in treatment and prognosis, should be distinguished from well-differentiated angiosarcoma and Kaposi's sarcoma, especially the patch stage and lymphangioma-like variants of the latter.

Recently characterized vascular tumours of skin and soft tissues

This review summarizes the clinicopathological features of a number of vascular tumours that have been characterized only in recent years. These include: glomeruloid haemangioma, a multifocal vascular lesion associated with POEMS syndrome: Kaposi-like infantile haemangioendothelioma, a borderline malignant tumour occurring in the retroperitoneum of infants, mimicking Kaposi's sarcoma histologically; giant cell angioblastoma, characterized by proliferated vessels with a granuloma-like appearance; benign lymphangioendothelioma (progressive lymphangioma), slowly-growing macule or plaque over the trunk or limb, mimicking low-grade angiosarcoma histologically; targetoid haemosiderotic haemangioma, a benign lesion with a distinctive annular appearance and histologically overlapping with benign lymphangioendothelioma; spindle cell haemangioendothelioma, a lesion located mostly in the distal extremities, characterized by cavernous vascular spaces, spindle cells with interspersed narrow vascular channels and scattered plump vacuolated endothelial cells; acquired tufted angioma, characterized by 'cannon-ball' involvement of the dermis by lobules of pericyte-rich capillaries; sinusoidal haemangioma, a distinctive variant of cavernous haemangioma which may be confused with angiosarcoma; and epithelioid angiosarcoma, a highly aggressive tumour of deep soft tissue mimicking metastatic carcinoma and co-expressing endothelial and epithelial markers.