Neoplastic and Non-Neoplastic Vascular Tumors

Abstract

Vascular neoplasms are a heterogeneous group of disorders that are derived from blood vessels or their cellular components: endothelial lining cells, smooth muscle cells, and pericytes. Since vessels are present throughout the body, vascular tumors may be seen in nearly any organ at any age. This diverse group encompasses congenital malformations such as the vascular ectasia or port-wine stain of Sturge-Weber syndrome and non-neoplastic inflammatory vascular proliferations such as bacillary angiomatosis. The spectrum of vascular neoplasms ranges from benign hemangiomas to intermediate-grade hemangioendotheliomas to highly malignant angiosarcomas. In addition, neoplasms of uncertain histogenesis, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and hemangioblastoma, fall under this rubric.