Vascular tumors

Definitions & Key takeaways

Vascular tumors are growths that develop in blood vessels or lymphatic vessels. These tumors can be benign or malignant. The most common types of benign vascular tumors are hemangiomas, which typically form in infancy and childhood and often resolve on their own over time. Malignant vascular tumors include angiosarcomas, which can occur in any part of the body, and Kaposi's sarcoma, which is typically seen in people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS. Treatment for vascular tumors depends on the type, location, and size of the tumor, as well as the overall health of the individual. Options may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these approaches.

Chapters:

Watch video only

Introduction0:00–0:16

Vascular tumors are tumors of the blood vessels, and there are actually a lot of different types, so this is just a quick overview of three types of tumors: Kaposi sarcoma, hemangioma, and angiosarcoma.

Pathology and symptoms of Kaposi Sarcoma0:16–1:24

Kaposi sarcoma is a malignant vascular tumor that is linked with an infection of the human herpesvirus 8 (otherwise known as HHV-8).
And it’s a cancer of the blood vessel endothelial cells. This virus is thought to get inside of the cells, and cause the cells to replicate uncontrollably.
This type of cancer is seen in people who have suppressed immune systems. That’s why it’s one of the common diseases you’re at risk of getting if you have AIDS, and is a complication of organ transplant patients.
The most common symptoms of Kaposi sarcoma affect the skin, causing purple and red lesions. These lesions look somewhat like a bruise, but unlike a bruise they don’t blanch, or turn pale, when pressed.
That’s because a Kaposi sarcoma has blood filled blood vessels whereas bruises are caused by blood leaking outside of blood vessels into the skin.
Initially these lesions start off flat, but over time they may become raised and more painful. In people who have a compromised immune systems, the disease can also cause lesions in other tissues like the mouth, the nose, the throat, the lymph nodes, the lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract.

Treatment of Kaposi sarcoma1:24–1:57

You can sometimes treat affected skin by surgically removing it or freezing it using cryotherapy, however treating the disease in immunocompromised patients is a little more difficult.
If someone’s immune system is compromised because of drugs such as corticosteroids, it might be necessary to adjust immunosuppressants and allow the immune system to recover.
It’s a lot harder to treat the disease in an AIDS patient whose immune system is severely compromised, so antiretroviral therapy is commonly used by patients to restore immunity.
Radiation and chemotherapy are also treatment options. Hemangioma are the next type, and these are benign vascular tumor of the endothelial cells of blood vessels.

Pathology and symptoms Hemangioma1:57–2:25

Too much endothelial cell growth typically leads to a messy clump of blood vessels, all filled with blood, similar to a Kaposi sarcoma, except these are benign.
The tumor is usually found on the skin, but can happen pretty much anywhere. These look a lot like a birthmark that is raised above the skin, rubbery, and can range in color between dark purple to bright red.

Treatment of Hemangioma2:25–2:58

This tumor is usually seen in newborns but will usually disappear as they get older. In fact, they sometimes start out small, then grow larger before finally shrinking by the first year of life.
About half of them disappear completely before age 5, and the rest usually disappear before the teenage years. Sometimes steroids or even beta blockers are used to help these regress, and in only rare situations is surgery needed.
When it’s clear that a tumor will regress on its own, removing the tumor surgically can sometimes cause more permanent scarring than if it is left alone.

Types of hemangioma2:58–3:39

Also, there are a couple different types of hemangioma—pyogenic granulomas, sometimes called eruptive hemangiomas or pregnancy tumors, look like an overgrowth of tissue and appear most often on the hands and face, but can also happen other places.
This type often bleeds, and can be removed by cautery. Capillary hemangiomas, sometimes called strawberry hemangiomas, are the most common and are raised and lumpy, kinda like a strawberry, I guess, and these usually subside by age 10.
Finally, cavernous hemangiomas are similar to capillary hemangiomas, except that they’re typically deeper, and can disappear on their own, but sometimes might need surgical removal.
Alright, if you’re a dog owner, you might have heard of angiosarcoma. Angiosarcoma is a malignant cancer, just like Kaposi sarcoma, and again involves the endothelial lining of the blood vessels and is fairly common in large dogs (it’s less common in humans, but enough to still be aware of).

Angiosarcoma3:39–4:17

Angiosarcomas are really aggressive and can affect the blood vessels in the liver. People who are frequently exposed to vinyl chloride monomer gas in PVC manufacturing are at risk of developing this disease, along with people who are exposed to arsenic insecticides and thorotrast which was a radiocontrast used in during imaging procedures back in the 1930s and 40s.