Anastomosing hemangioma of the kidney: radiologic and pathologic distinctions of a kidney cancer mimic

Curr Oncol. 2018 Jun;25(3):e220-e223. doi: 10.3747/co.25.3927. Epub 2018 Jun 28.

Abstract

Anastomosing hemangioma (ah) is a rare subtype of primary vascular tumour that can, clinically and radiologically, present similarly to malignant renal tumours such as renal cell carcinoma (rcc) and angiosarcoma. Rarely seen in the genitourinary system, the ah we report here occurred in a 40-year-old male patient diagnosed initially with rcc based on imaging and successfully treated by laparoscopic left radical nephrectomy, with adrenal sparing and perihilar lymph node dissection. The pathologic diagnosis of ah can be challenging on small biopsy specimens; we therefore opine that it is appropriate to excise these lesions to facilitate diagnosis and definitively exclude common renal cancers. However, in this review, we describe some radiologic and pathologic distinctions between ah and malignant tumours.

Keywords: Anastomosing hemangioma; pathology; radiology; renal cell carcinoma; renal lesions.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Hemangioma / diagnosis*
  • Hemangioma / diagnostic imaging
  • Hemangioma / pathology
  • Humans
  • Kidney Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Kidney Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Kidney Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male