SPINDLE-CELL HEMANGIOENDOTHELIOMA

Spindle cell haemangioendothelioma is an uncommon vascular lesion firs t described in 1986 by Weiss and Enzinger. It develops in the dermis a nd subcutis, at any age and in either sex, manifesting as multiple, pa inless, reddish, blue nodules, mainly on the distal extremities. The c ardinal histological features, as described to date, are cavernous vas cular spaces (often containing thrombi), mixed with a variably promine nt solid component, consisting of bland spindle cells and plump epithe lioid cells, often with cytoplasmic vacuoles. Here we report a case of spindle cell haemangioendothelioma. The main clinical and histopathol ogical features of this rare neoplasm are reviewed, and the differenti al diagnoses with respect to other vascular tumors are discussed.