Recently characterized vascular tumours of skin and soft tissues

Histopathology of Spindle Cell Vascular Tumors

Vascular tumors with a spindled morphology represent a diagnostic challenge in soft tissue pathology. It may be difficult to distinguish certain benign entities in this category from spindled vascular tumors of intermediate malignancy or even spindled variants of angiosarcoma. This article focuses on vascular tumors characterized by a predominantly spindled morphology, including spindle cell hemangioma, acquired tufted angioma (angioblastoma of Nakagawa), kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, Kaposi sarcoma, and spindle cell variants of angiosarcoma.

Invited Review : Three New Vascular Tumors—Tufted Angioma, Kaposiform Infantile Hemangioendothelioma, and Proliferative Cutaneous Angiomatosis

The features of tufted angioma (Nakagawa), Kaposiform infantile hemangioendotheli oma, and proliferative cutaneous angiomatosis are reviewed. Tufted angioma, which usually appears before the age of ten years, is a large, poorly demarcated, macular, cutaneous and subcutaneous lesion most commonly located on the neck or trunk. Histologically, there is a "cannon ball" pattern of concentrically whorled lobules and tufts of endothelial and perithelial cells. Tufted angioma is difficult to excise and usually persists throughout life but causes no serious symptoms. Kaposiform infantile heman gioendothelioma is a rare, aggressive vascular tumor of the deep soft tissues, bone, and skin that presents during the first year of life and is often complicated by Kasabach- Merritt syndrome. Histologically, there is a Kaposiform pattern, but some cells may be arranged in nodules and tufts indistinguishable from tufted angioma. Kaposiform infantile hemangioendothelioma responds to interferon therapy. On the basis of the few cases so far recognized, proliferative cutaneous angiomatosis is a large, diffuse, mainly superficial angioma that grows insidiously and is biopsied in the second or third decade of life. Histologically, there are irregular, interconnecting cords and sheets of endothelial cells that form anastomosing spaces. Extravasated red cells and endothe lial hemosiderosis are prominent. The superficial location, older age, and the distinctive histology suggest that proliferative cutaneous angiomatosis differs from Kaposiform infantile hemangioendothelioma. Int J Surg Pathol 2(1):63-72, 1994

Verrucous Hemangioma

Verrucous hemangioma is an uncommon variant of cutaneous hemangioma, showing characteristic clinicopathologic features. Since its formal characterization in 1967, little has been written on this entity. This report describes 10 cases to draw wider attention to this distinct hemangioma. The patients, 5 males and 5 females, were aged 6-44 years at presentation. The lesions were usually noted at birth as flat or dome-shaped reddish or bluish lesions that enlarged slowly and became verrucous. All 10 cases were located in the lower extremities. Among the six cases with follow-up information, two have recurred. Histologically, beneath the warty epidermal surface, haphazardly distributed in the dermis were vascular spaces often of cavernous size, merging into capillaries in the subcutis. In the subcutaneous tissue, the lobules of capillaries com monly merged with the adipose cells in a pseudoinfiltrative pattern. The endothelial cells were flat and nondescript, and showed variable immunoreactivity for factor VIII related antigen but showed strong staining with CD34. All the vascular channels were surrounded by complete rims of muscle-specific actin-positive pericytes. The overlying epidermis lacked evidence of human papillomavirus infection either by immunohisto chemical studies or ultrastructural examination. Thus the warty change represented a reactive phenomenon rather than a result of human papillomavirus infection. Since the lateral and deep extent of the vascular proliferation is often greater than that of the exophytic epidermal component in verrucous hemangioma, the size of the lesion is often underestimated, leading to inadequate excision and recurrence. Awareness of this entity and obtaining a complete clinical history should permit recognition of the lesion as a vascular lesion and not a primary epidermal or melanocytic lesion. Int J Surg Pathol 2(3):171-176, 1995

Epithelioid angiosarcoma: Use of angiographic embolisation and radiotherapy to control recurrent haemorrhage

Epithelioid angiosarcoma is a rare, highly malignant tumour with a poor prognosis. We present the case of a 75 year old man who underwent an incision biopsy to diagnose the soft tissue tumour and suffered from surgically uncontrollable haemorrhage. The case report demonstrates the value of interventional radiology for acute bleeding and radiotherapy for more chronic tumour bleeding.

Tufted angioma (Angioblastoma) of eyelid in adults-report of two cases

Abstract

Tufted angioma, first recognized in Japanese literature as “Angioblastoma of Nagakawa”, is a rare benign vascular tumour with a variable clinical presentation. It commonly manifests as a macule, papule or nodule in infancy or childhood in the region of the upper trunk and neck. Here in we report two cases of this rare progressive angioma as lesions of the eyelid in adults. Tufted angioma has a classical “cannon ball” like appearance of vascular tufts on histopathology. Immunohistochemical staining with actin highlights the spindly stromal cells surrounding the capillaries. Complete physical examination and haematological work up is recommended in patients with tufted angioma to exclude rare association of port wine stain and Kasabach-Merritt syndrome with this rare entity. To the best of our knowledge, our cases illustrate the first case report of tufted angioma presenting as an eyelid lesion.

Virtual Slides

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Multiple mucinous and lipomatous variant of eccrine angiomatous hamartoma associated with spindle cell hemangioma: a novel collision tumor?

Eccrine angiomatous hamartoma (EAH) is a rare, benign condition characterized histologically by increased numbers of eccrine elements, as well as numerous capillary channels. In most cases, EAH arises as a single lesion; however, multiple variants have been reported. We report a 35-year-old female patient with multiple, sudoriparous, subcutaneous nodules on the right foot, which showed typical histopathological findings of EAH, and vascular components of the tumor consisted of thin-walled dilated vascular spaces intermixed with spindle cells and some histiocytoid endothelial cells representing spindle cell hemangioma (SCH). To our knowledge, the co-existence of EAH with SCH is a novel finding and not yet described.

Haemangioendothelioma of paranasal sinuses with intracranial extension

Maxillary sinus is a rare site for the occurrence of haemangioendothelioma. The present case is being reported in a 45 year old Hindu Male. The main complaint ware bilateral nasal obstruction und a mass protruding from he right nostril along with episodes of headache, vomiting and nasal bleeding. The. C.T. scan showed evidence of erosion of bony walls of maxillary antrum with intracranial extension of the tumor. There was no evidence of regional lymph nodes or distance metastasis. Histology of the tissue revealed a highly cellular and vascular tumor the diagnosis of haemangioendothelioma of the maxillary sinus retiform variety was established.

Reactive Angioendotheliomatosis of the Intestine

We present a case of reactive angioendotheliomatosis (RAE) of the colon, featuring intravascular proliferation of endothelial cells with histologic resemblance to glomeruloid hemangioma. A 19-year-old Japanese male with an anal fistula was diagnosed endoscopically with Crohn's disease. Six months later, he was hospitalized for fever and abdominal pain. Emergency resection of ileocecum and splenic flexure of the colon was undertaken to control massive intestinal hemorrhage, and in all parts of the resected colon, foci of many small vessels with intravascular proliferation of endothelial cells were noted throughout the layers. Moreover, solid proliferation of endothelial cells was seen in the submucosa at the base of open ulcers. Two small granulomas, compatible with Crohn's disease, were also evident in the muscle layer of the terminal ileum. No other hemangiomas or hemangioma-like structures were observed with CT scans, and the vascular lesions were histologically diagnosed as RAE. The pathogenesis of this disorder is unknown, and most cases occur in skin with systemic disease. The present case might thus be a first case of RAE of the intestine without cutaneous involvement. Whether there is a relation with coexistent enteritis suggestive of Crohn's disease needs to be clarified.

Rare vascular proliferations of the oral mucosa

Benign vascular lesions-malformative, reactive, and neoplastic-are fairly common in the oral soft tissues; nevertheless, extravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia and sinusoidal hemangioma have not been reported in this location. To our knowledge, a single case of intraoral spindle cell hemangioma has appeared in the literature. This report deals with histopathological features of these rare vascular proliferations involving the oral mucosa.

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma associated with Milroy's disease (primary hereditary lymphedema)

Kaposiform infantile hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare recently characterized, locally aggressive, endothelial-derived neoplasm that occurs exclusively in the pediatric age group. Milroy-Nonne disease (primary hereditary lymphedema) is an uncommon congenital entity with familiar history of lower limb edema as typical clinical features. An 8-year-old boy developed a hard painless mass in the right leg 7 years after the diagnosis of congenital primary lymphedema of the right lower extremity. Histopathological analysis of the tumor showed the typical findings of the KHE. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of a KHE engrafting on this infrequent benign lymphatic anomaly.

Endothelial lesions of soft tissues: a review of reactive and neoplastic entities with emphasis on low-grade malignant ("borderline") vascular tumors

Soft tissue proliferations composed of endothelial cells are a heterogeneous group of lesions that can cause diagnostic difficulty. Further complicating the issue is the constantly changing nomenclature of some entities, as well as reclassification of some vascular tumors from the high-grade malignant category to the low-grade malignant or borderline category. Modern ancillary techniques such as immunohistochemistry and cytogenetics have done little to advance our knowledge of these lesions. This review article outlines the most recent classification of endothelial lesions of the skin and soft tissues, with emphasis on the low-grade malignant (borderline) category. In addition, many tumor-like lesions containing an endothelial component are also discussed.

Congenital tufted angioma

A 7-year-old Filipino girl presented to the dermatology clinic with a slowly enlarging plaque on the inner aspect of her upper left arm. Although she had this lesion since birth, it had gradually enlarged and become indurated and slightly painful. The histopathologic examination showed a vascular proliferation within the dermis, with a "cannonball" appearance consistent with a tufted angioma. We review the literature and discuss the clinical presentation of this rare vascular tumor.

Congenital composite hemangioendothelioma: case report and reappraisal of the hemangioendothelioma spectrum

BACKGROUND

Composite hemangioendothelioma is the most recently described entity of the hemangioendothelioma (HE) spectrum. To the best of our knowledge, only eight cases of this entity have been hitherto described. All of the previous cases affected adults; local recurrences were observed in three cases, and one case showed lymph node metastasis. We herein describe a new and previously unreported congenital case of this rare vascular tumor, arising on the acral extremity of the left forearm, which was diagnosed when the patient was 23 years old.

RESULTS

The histological examination disclosed a heterogeneous vascular neoplasm composed of retiform HE-like (80%), spindle cell hemangioma-like (15%), cavernous hemangioma-like (approximately 3%), epithelioid HE-like (approximately 2%) areas, and rare foci with an angiosarcoma-like pattern (< 1%). A distinctive and unique finding of the present case was the presence of large granular eosinophilic macrophages filling some vessels of the retiform HE-like areas. A below-elbow amputation was performed. The patient is alive and well, without evidence of residual or metastatic disease 7 years after the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors expand the concept of composite hemangioendothelioma by adding a congenital case and provide a reappraisal of the hemangioendothelioma spectrum.

Noninvoluting congenital hemangioma: a rare cutaneous vascular anomaly

The authors studied a rare, congenital, cutaneous vascular anomaly that grows proportionately with the child and does not regress. A total of 53 patients were compiled from three vascular anomaly centers. These patients' lesions were analyzed for presentation, physical findings, radiologic and histopathologic characteristics, natural history, and outcome after resection. The lesions occurred slightly more often in male patients, always appeared alone, and were located (in order of frequency) in the head/neck region, extremities, and trunk. They were round-to-ovoid in shape, were plaque-like or bossed, occurred in variable shades of pink to purple, and had an average diameter of 5 cm. The overlying skin was frequently punctuated by coarse telangiectasia, often with central or peripheral pallor. The lesions were warm on palpation; fast-flow was further documented by Doppler ultrasonography. Magnetic resonance imaging and angiographic findings were similar to those of common hemangioma of infancy. All lesions were easily excised without recurrence.Histologic examination revealed lobular collections of small, thin-walled vessels with a large, often stellate, central vessel. Interlobular areas contained predominantly dilated, often dysplastic veins; arteries were also increased in number. Small arteries were observed "shunting" directly into lobular vessels or into abnormal extralobular veins. "Hobnailed" endothelial cells lined the small intralobular vessels. Mast cells were increased. Tests for glucose transporter-1, a recently reported reliable marker for common hemangioma of infancy, were negative in all 26 specimens examined. In conclusion, the authors think these clinicopathologic and radiologic features define a rare vascular lesion for which the term "noninvoluting congenital hemangioma" is proposed. These lesions of intrauterine onset may be a variant of common hemangioma of infancy or another hemangiomatous entity with persistent fast-flow.

Giant cell angioblastoma: three additional occurrences of a distinct pathologic entity

Giant cell angioblastoma was described previously in a single case report as a congenital soft-tissue tumor with a unique morphology. In the current report, we describe three cases of giant cell angioblastoma found in three infants; one case was congenital and located in the hand, one appeared neonatally in the palate, and one on the scalp of an infant. Clinical findings and results of light microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy were evaluated. All tumors were ulcerated; the hand and palate tumors also infiltrated soft tissue and bone. They exhibited a solid, nodular, and plexiform proliferation of oval-to-spindle cells with a frequent striking, concentric aggregation around small vascular channels. These cells had characteristics of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and pericytes. Co-mingled with these cells were large mononuclear and multinucleate giant cells with histiocytic features. The palatal giant cell angioblastoma, excised with positive margins, was managed with interferon-alpha and showed no progression after nearly 5 years. The hand tumor diminished in size after management with interferon-alpha, was subtotally excised, and did not progress after 27 months. Follow-up data are unavailable for the patient with the scalp lesion. Our findings validate the classification of giant cell angioblastoma as a distinct and rare entity that is locally infiltrative but slow growing. The morphology and diverse cellular differentiation are consistent with an unusual form of neoplastic angiogenesis.

Cytology of angiosarcoma. Findings in fourteen fine-needle aspiration biopsy specimens and one pleural fluid specimen

We report the cytologic features of 15 cases of angiosarcoma from various sites and include 14 fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy specimens and 1 pleural fluid specimen. Six were initial diagnoses with histologic confirmation; an additional case in the liver was an initial diagnosis without tissue confirmation. One case represented lymph node metastasis from a primary prostatic epithelioid angiosarcoma. In 10 cases, immunohistochemical staining for factor VIII-related antigen, CD34, CD31, or Ulex europaeus agglutinin I was performed on the cytology or histology specimen. The aspirates varied in cellularity, and the degree of nuclear atypia ranged from relatively bland in a case of low-grade angiosarcoma of the prostate to highly pleomorphic in a lymph node metastasis from a facial cutaneous angiosarcoma. Vasoformative features such as intracellular RBCs, well-formed vessels, attempts at microacinar/lumen formation, and intracytoplasmic lumens were variably present. The background was bloody in all specimens, with necrosis in rare cases. This cytologic series emphasizes that the cytologic features are heterogeneous but that the diagnosis can be suggested by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) when vasoformative features are present. The diagnosis can be made conclusively by FNA with immunocytochemical confirmation of endothelial differentiation.

Benign lymphangioendothelioma of the thigh simulating a low-grade angiosarcoma

Benign lymphangioendothelioma (BL) is a rare vascular neoplasm that can histopathologically mimic a low-grade angiosarcoma or the patch stage of Kaposi sarcoma. We report on the case of a 49-year-old man with a benign lymphangioendothelioma on the right thigh that evolved on a vascular birthmark after a trauma. Because of constant pain and the slow but progressive growth of the lesion, we decided to excise the tumor. Three stages of surgery were needed to obtain negative margins. We review the reports of BL to date, with special attention to those that developed after trauma and those that had a preexistent vascular lesion, and expound on the histopathologic differential diagnosis with low-grade angiosarcoma.

Infantile hemangioendothelioma of the pericranium presenting as an occipital mass lesion. Case report

The case of a newborn infant with a large midline mass in the occipital region is presented. Skull x-ray films demonstrated multiple radiolucent defects in the occipital bone. A computerized tomography scan revealed an extracranial mass lesion with marked contrast enhancement. A magnetic resonance image demonstrated that the venous drainage of the lesion passed through the occipital bone into the dural venous sinuses. The anatomy of the hindbrain was normal. The neonate was treated by complete surgical removal of the mass. The histopathological diagnosis was infantile hemangioendothelioma, a tumor commonly found in the liver but rarely in this location. The classification, histopathological characteristics, imaging studies, and treatment of this tumor are discussed.

A case of glomeruloid hemangioma associated with multicentric Castleman's disease

Glomeruloid hemangioma is a term that was coined J.K.C. Chan and colleagues in 1990 because the condition is histopathologically similar to renal glomeruli. In the three cases described to date, there have been signs of POEMS syndrome of multicentric Castleman's disease. We present the case of a 44-year-old Korean woman who developed glomeruloid hemangioma in association with multicentric Castleman's disease and some features of POEMS syndrome. It is interesting that in this patient, the first biopsy specimen revealed an immature vascular tumor that could not be precisely classified and the second indicated glomeruloid hemangioma. The present case may lend support to the suggestion that in POEMS disease, some types of vascular proliferations develop in response to angiogenic stimuli that show a spectrum of histopathologic features, and glomeruloid hemangioma is one of the reactive vascular proliferations. We believe that the primitive vascular tumor seen in the first biopsy specimen may be the most immature stage of this spectrum.

Cutaneous vascular proliferation. Part II. Hyperplasias and benign neoplasms

This second part of our review about vascular proliferations summarizes the clinicopathologic features of the cutaneous vascular hyperplasias and benign neoplasms. Hyperplasias comprise a heterogeneous group of vascular proliferations that eventually show a tendency to regression. Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is included within the group of hyperplasias because of its historical denomination and its reactive nature, probably as a consequence of an arteriovenous shunt, although usually the lesions do not regress. Pyogenic granuloma, bacillary angiomatosis, intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia, and pseudo-Kaposi's sarcoma qualify as vascular hyperplasias because they regress when the stimulus that initiated them is removed. Benign neoplasms form a large group of hemangiomas with distinctive clinicopathologic characteristics, although some of them are of recent description and may produce diagnostic difficulties. We classified cutaneous benign vascular neoplasms according to their cell lineage of differentiation, for example, endothelial, glomus cell, and pericytic differentiation. Subsequent categories are established according to the size of the involved vessels (capillaries, venules and arterioles, or veins and arteries) or the nature of the proliferating vessels (blood or lymphatic vessels). Capillary and cavernous hemangiomas have been the terms classically used to name the most common variants of benign vascular neoplasms (i.e., infantile hemangiomas), but they are not the most appropriate denominations for these lesions. First, these names are not contrasting terms. Furthermore, most of the socalled "cavernous" hemangiomas are not hemangiomas (neoplasms) at all, but venous malformations. The most important conceptual issue is that, at any point in time, a particular hemangioma has its own histopathologic pattern throughout the depth of the lesion. For these reasons, we classified hemangiomas into superficial and deep categories. Some of the lesions reviewed have been recently described in the literature, and they may histopathologically mimic lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma; these include targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma, microvenular hemangioma, tufted hemangioma, glomeruloid hemangioma, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, spindle-cell hemangioendothelioma, and benign lymphangioendothelioma. In each of these lesions, we update and emphasize those clinical and histopathologic features that are helpful for differential diagnosis with lesions of authentic Kaposi's sarcoma in any of its three stages of development (patch, plaque, or nodule).

Multiple retiform hemangioendotheliomas. A low-grade angiosarcoma

We present the case of a 30-year-old woman who over a 10-year period has developed multiple well-differentiated angiosarcomas involving the trunk and extremities. The clinical and histologic features are characteristic of retiform hemangioendothelioma (RH), a distinctive form of low-grade angiosarcoma. This case is unique in that multiple lesions developed in different anatomic sites. We discuss the clinical and histologic characteristics, diagnosis, and prognosis of RH.

Laser treatment for an unusual reactive vascular proliferation

An unusual case of severe vascular proliferation presenting in the form of haemorrhaging cutaneous lesions on the leg is reported. The similarity between these benign lesions and various malignancies is outlined. The patient healed well when the lesions were excised using a laser under local anaesthetic.

Cutaneous lymphangiectases associated with severe photoaging and topical corticosteroid application

We report an elderly patient with lymphangiectases arising within skin affected by photoaging, steroid atrophy, and inflammation. Bullous lesions appeared in several sites following a year of topical corticosteroid applications for neurodermatitis. Light and electron microscopy showed that the bullae consisted of dilated lymphatic vessels within the dermis. There was also marked nodular elastosis and attenuation of dermal collagen. We suggest that this patient's lymphangiectases resulted from abnormal structure and function of the dermis due to photoaging and steroid atrophy.

Cutaneous epithelioid angiosarcoma: a clinicopathological study of four cases

Four cases of cutaneous epithelioid angiosarcoma are described together with the potential diagnostic trap of mistaking these tumours for poorly differentiated carcinoma or malignant melanoma. The immunophenotypic profile using four endothelial markers showed positive staining in all cases for factor VIII related antigen in a predominantly paranuclear dot-like fashion and for CD31 (JC70); in three cases for CD34 (QB-END/10) and in two cases with UEA-1. All four cases were cytokeratin (CAM 5.2 and AE1/AE3) negative in contrast to the positive staining reported at non-cutaneous sites. Aberrant S-100 protein expression was seen in one case. In two cases subsequent recurrences showed better differentiation than the original tumour. Electronmicroscopy confirmed the absence of non-endothelial lines of differentiation but failed to reveal Weibel-Palade bodies.

Skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis. A clinicopathological study of fourteen patients and nosologic considerations

We reviewed the consultation files of the ARmed Forces Institute of Pathology for 1951 through 1989 and identified fourteen patients who had had skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis. Skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis was defined as a benign vascular proliferation involving the medullary cavity of bone and at least one other type of tissue. The age of the patients at the time of initial biopsy ranged from nine months to sixty-nine years (average, twenty-two years; median, ten years). Ten of the patients were male and four were female. The presenting signs and symptoms were highly variable; they included pain (four patients), a mass noted at birth (three patients), a painless mass that developed after birth (two patients), both pain and a mass (one patient), a localized deformity of the thoracic spine (one patient), and anemia associated with chronic bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract (one patient); in this last patient, skeletal lesions subsequently were found and biopsied. Skeletal-extraskeletal angiomatosis was an incidental finding in the remaining two patients. Multiple bones were involved in thirteen of the fourteen patients. Histologically, three patterns of lesion could be identified: cavernous lymphangioma (six patients), cavernous hemangioma (six patients), and arteriovenous hemangioma (two patients). Five of the patients died (three of sepsis associated with persistent lesions of angiomatosis and two of unrelated causes); eight of the patients survived but had residual disease, and one survived and had no evidence of residual disease.

An unusual vascular hamartoma on the gingiva of an 11-year-old boy

A case is reported of an unusual vascular lesion on the gingiva of an 11-year-old boy which clinically and histopathologically did not fit well into any current classification of vascular lesions. The lesion presented as a firm nodular swelling of the buccal and lingual gingiva which had been present for 9 years. The term endovascular papillary haemangioma is suggested. Histopathologically it had features in common with a number of benign vascular lesions, as well as with some more sinister locally-aggressive vascular tumours and angiosarcomas. It is stressed that, although some of these lesions may display features suggestive of malignancy, care should be exercised when making this diagnosis, as in recent years there has been an increase in the recognition and characterization of benign vascular lesions which exhibit unusual features.

Expression of CD30 and nerve growth factor-receptor in neoplastic and reactive vascular lesions: an immunohistochemical study

A total of 118 biopsies from 20 different types of benign, malignant and reactive vascular proliferations were examined for the expression of the CD30 antigen using the monoclonal antibodies BerH2 and HRS4 on paraffin-embedded sections. The results were compared with those obtained using an antibody directed against the partially homologous nerve growth factor-receptor. The vascular character of the lesions was assessed by means of endothelial markers and the expression of intermediate filaments was verified immunohistochemically. CD30 was expressed in the endothelial component of more than the half of all tumours, with the exceptions of Kaposi's sarcoma and teleangiectatic granuloma. There was a slightly higher rate of Ki-1 positivity in malignant lesions. Nerve growth factor-receptor could be demonstrated in a similar percentage in both endothelium and pericytes, but no correlation with CD30 could be established. We conclude, therefore, that these antigens are not adequate for the differential diagnosis of vascular lesions, nor do they help distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. Their expression seems to reflect different states of cellular function or activation. It does not necessarily occur simultaneously or in the same cell type.

Angiosarcoma in the lung

Angiosarcoma involving the lung is a rare disorder and its clinical features are not well known. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 15 patients seen at our institution from 1950 to 1990 in an attempt to better characterize the spectrum of clinical and radiographic findings of angiosarcoma in the lung. No documented case of primary angiosarcoma of the lung was seen. The diagnosis of metastatic angiosarcoma to the lung was made antemortem in 12 of 15 cases, either by lung biopsy specimen (5 patients), biopsy evidence of metastatic disease elsewhere with abnormal chest radiograph (4 patients), or a compatible clinical picture in a patient with previously documented angiosarcoma arising in an extrapulmonary site (3 patients). The median age at the time of diagnosis was 45 years with the most common presenting symptom being hemoptysis (7 of 15 patients). Other presenting complaints included weight loss (6 of 15), cough (4 of 15), and chest pain (4 of 15) occurring 6 weeks to 1 year prior to diagnosis. Chest radiographs frequently disclosed multiple pulmonary nodules (11 of 15). Primary origins of the angiosarcoma most commonly included the heart and breast. Metastatic sites other than the lung included the pericardium, liver, spleen, kidney, adrenal gland, bone, and brain. The prognosis is generally poor, with our study population surviving an average of 9 months after diagnosis.