7.5 Vascular Tumors

Question 1

Describe hemangiomas

Answer 1

Benign tumors of blood vessels
Occur in the skin and the liver
Often present at birth and regress with time during childhood

Question 2

Describe angiosarcoma

Answer 2

Aggressive proliferation of endothelial cells
Common in skin, breast, liver
Liver angiosarcoma associated with exposure to polyvinyl chloride, arsenic, and thorotrast

Question 3

Describe Kaposi Sarcoma

Answer 3

Low-grade malignant proliferation of endothelial cells caused by HHV-8 infection
Purple patches and plaques and nodules on the skin but possible throughout the body
Common in older eastern european males where it tends to stay localized to the skin and is treated with excision, AIDS and Transplant patients where it tends to spread early and is treated by increasing immune system