Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the lower extremity

68 Ga-FAPI Versus 18 F-FDG PET/CT in the Evaluation of Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma of Bone

ABSTRACT

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare type of vascular tumor that may arise in bone. Here we presented a 62-year-old man with suspected bone metastases who underwent PET/CT to detect the primary tumor. He underwent 18 F-FDG and 68 Ga-FAPI PET/CT under the prospective trial NCT04416165. Radiotracer uptake was much higher with 68 Ga-FAPI PET/CT than with 18 F-FDG PET/CT in most of bone lesions. No intense uptake likely presenting the primary tumor was observed. Subsequent bone biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of EHE of bone. This case suggested that 68 Ga-FAPI PET/CT might be a useful tool for evaluation of EHE.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, an ultra-rare cancer: a consensus paper from the community of experts

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare, translocated, vascular sarcoma. EHE clinical behavior is variable, ranging from that of a low-grade malignancy to that of a high-grade sarcoma and it is marked by a high propensity for systemic involvement. No active systemic agents are currently approved specifically for EHE, which is typically refractory to the antitumor drugs used in sarcomas. The degree of uncertainty in selecting the most appropriate therapy for EHE patients and the lack of guidelines on the clinical management of the disease make the adoption of new treatments inconsistent across the world, resulting in suboptimal outcomes for many EHE patients. To address the shortcoming, a global consensus meeting was organized in December 2020 under the umbrella of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) involving >80 experts from several disciplines from Europe, North America and Asia, together with a patient representative from the EHE Group, a global, disease-specific patient advocacy group, and Sarcoma Patient EuroNet (SPAEN). The meeting was aimed at defining, by consensus, evidence-based best practices for the optimal approach to primary and metastatic EHE. The consensus achieved during that meeting is the subject of the present publication.

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This consensus paper provides key recommendations on the management of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE).

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Recommendations followed a consensus meeting between experts and a representative of the EHE advocacy group and SPAEN.

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Authorship includes a multidisciplinary group of experts from different institutions from Europe, North America and Asia.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of spine: A case report with review of literatures

Primary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the spine is the extremely rare malignant vascular neoplasm with an unpredictable outcome. A case of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with multiple lytic lesions of thoracolumbar spine and other bones in a 29-year-old male patient is reported. A review of the published data regarding this rare neoplasm is also presented. The features of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma include the occurrence in the young male patient, multiple osteolytic lesions with thin sclerotic rim and hypermetabolic activities. However, its imaging features are not specific. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography is essential for identification of the lesions and subsequent follow-up for treatment.

A Rare Case of Hemangioendothelioma of Upper Thigh

Hemangioendothelioma is a rare tumor arising from the vascular endothelium of soft tissue, skin, bone, and viscera. The disease has an indolent course, with the potential for recurrence, and is often associated with multi-organ involvement. We present a rare case of subcutaneous tumor in the thigh, without systemic involvement in a middle-aged woman. The tumor was completely excised after ligation of the feeding vessels, and the histopathologic diagnosis was consistent with hemangioendothelioma. Regular follow-up is suggested due to the potential for recurrence.

A Review of the Spectrum of Imaging Manifestations of Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to review the spectrum of imaging manifestations of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma across different organ systems and briefly describe its current treatment strategies. CONCLUSION. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare, locally invasive neoplasm with metastatic potential. Although most commonly occurring in liver, lungs, and bones, it can also present at multiple other sites. Because of its nonspecific clinical and imaging manifestations, it is often misdiagnosed. The possibility of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma must be considered in the presence of a slowly growing mass that invades adjacent structures. Imaging can help plan percutaneous biopsy, detect sites of disease, and identify poor prognostic factors.

Recurrent upper limb neuropathies secondary to an epithelioid haemangioendothelioma - A rare mimic of nerve tumours

Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an uncommon type of vascular tumour with intermediate malignant potential, classified as a sarcoma which occasionally involves neurovascular structures and can mimic nerve sheath tumours. EHE is difficult to distinguish from other nerve sheath tumours based on imaging, including MRI, and biopsy is often required for diagnosis. Diagnosis of EHE from biopsy often requires the use of vascular immunohistochemical stains. We present a case of left upper limb neurovascular bundle EHE presenting with proximal ulnar nerve neuropathy and subsequent median nerve neuropathy and liver, lungs and bone metastases. The tumour had been identified 20 years prior with a similar presentation of upper limb weakness and sensory disturbance, yet following surgical excision it was misdiagnosed as inflammatory fibrous tissue. Treatment with propranolol has resulted in disease stability and surgical debulking resulted in improved upper limb function. The use of beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists in EHE and other sarcomas have been shown to increase T-cell infiltration and decrease immunosuppressive PD-1 expression in neoplastic cells.

Classic Hodgkin lymphoma with initial extranodal osseous presentation: a case report and literature review

Initial extranodal osseous presentation of Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) is extremely rare. The present study describes a case of CHL in an 11-year-old male presenting with lower back and right hip pain. Radiologic imaging showed a solitary lytic lesion involving the L5 vertebrae and sacrum. Pathologic examination led to a diagnosis of extranodal osseous CHL and further workup proved bone marrow and nodal disease. Diagnosis of extranodal osseous CHL is challenging, especially in this age group and location. When confronted with a solitary lytic bone lesion in a young patient, more common benign and neoplastic entities enter the differential diagnosis and include osteomyelitis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, epithelioid hemangioma of bone, leukemia, and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) among others, with extranodal osseous CHL being one of the less common entities in the differential diagnosis. This case report raises the awareness of extranodal osseous CHL as one of the entities to consider when confronted with a solitary lytic bone lesion in a young patient.

Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma: A Rare Case of an Aggressive Vascular Malignancy

Patient: Female, 46

Final Diagnosis: Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

Symptoms: Pain

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: —

Specialty: Oncology

Imaging findings in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

PURPOSE-OBJECTIVE

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular malignancy with varying biologic behavior. The purpose of this study was to identify imaging findings most characteristic of EHE.

METHODS

Retrospective review of clinical and imaging records in patients referred to our Vascular Anomalies Center over a 17 year period with biopsy proven EHE.

RESULTS

We evaluated 29 patients (17 F) with median age of 16 years (range 2-76 y). The most common presenting symptoms were pain (n = 13) and palpable mass (n = 7). 22 (70%) had multifocal disease. Most common sites of involvement were lung (n = 25), liver (n = 16), bone (n = 12), soft tissue (n = 3) and lymph nodes (n = 1). Of patients with single site disease, 3 had lung, 3 liver, and 1 had bone lesions. In 18/25 with lung disease, there were multiple nodules of varying sizes and characteristics. In 14/16 with hepatic disease there were multiple nodules with predominantly peripheral distribution. Subcapsular retraction was seen in 10/16 and a "lollipop" sign (hepatic or portal vein tapering at the edge of a well-defined hypoenhancing lesion) identified in 5/16. Of 12 osseous lesions, 11 were lytic, 8 involved vertebrae and 9 involved the axial skeleton.

CONCLUSION

EHE has varied imaging findings. The most common sites are lungs, liver, and bone, with multi-organ involvement seen in most. Lung disease is most commonly characterized by multiple nodules. Hepatic lesions demonstrate the most distinctive findings, with peripheral distribution, lack of early enhancement, subcapsular retraction and "lollipop" sign. Osseous lesions are commonly lytic and more prevalent in the axial skeleton.

Bone multicentric epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the lower and upper extremities with pulmonary metastases: A case report

The present study reports a rare case of bone multicentric epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) involving the upper and lower extremities simultaneously, with visceral involvement of the lung. Osteolytic lesions were first identified in the right distal femur and proximal tibia. Slight increased radionuclide uptake was observed in the right shoulder joint on bone scintigraphy, however, this was ignored, as no clinical symptoms were present. The patient was initially misdiagnosed with multifocal chondroblastoma, and an extra-articular curettage of lesions was performed in the proximal tibia and medial femoral condyle, which was filled with bone cement. The histopathological diagnosis was corrected post-operatively following immunohistochemical analysis, which indicated EH, and subsequently, an amputation of the right leg at thigh level was performed. In addition, multiple lytic lesions in the right shoulder joint and pulmonary metastases were identified on whole-body radiological examination. Radiotherapy was administered to the right shoulder joint, however, the patient refused chemotherapy or further surgery. At 15 months after the initial surgery, the patient currently remains alive. This case indicates that an improved understanding with regard to the clinical features of this disease may prevent misdiagnosis and improve EH treatment.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma with extensive cystic change and CAMTA1 rearrangement

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular neoplasm that has the ability to recur locally and metastasize. Thus, it is important to distinguish this tumor from other epithelioid vascular neoplasms. A 47-year-old man presented to our hospital with a pelvic mass with severe ischialgia and weight loss. Surgical resection was performed, and the mass was found to have dark red multiloculated cysts with hemorrhage and calcification. The histopathologic examination showed a central sclerotic, hypocellular zone and a peripheral cellular zone. Only the peripheral portion of the wall revealed nested tumor cells in light blue myxoid stroma. These tumors are typically composed of short strands or cords of bland epithelioid cells with occasional intracytoplasmic lumens embedded in a myxohyalinized stroma. The tumor cells were positive for CD31 and CD34 and negative for factor VIII-related antigen, CK (AE1/AE3) and S-100. The tumor nuclei showed distinct break-apart signals with individual green and/or red signals, indicating the presence of CAMTA1 rearrangement. In this study, we report a case of EHE that was difficult to diagnose based on histology alone. Therefore, we also performed fluorescence in situ hybridization, and found that the tumor harbored a CAMTA1 gene rearrangement, which confirmed the diagnosis.

Multicentric epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of bone. Report of a case with radiologic-pathologic correlation

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumor of uncertain biologic behavior. Most cases come out as a single lesion of the soft tissue but also may appear in the lung, liver, and other locations. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of bone is an extremely rare tumor and more prevalent in the second and third decades of life; its behavior is uncertain, it most commonly is unifocal, and it affects preferentially lower extremities. In this work, we present the clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings of a 19-year-old man with a multicentric EHE of bone that involved 3 vertebrae and developed lung metastasis.

[Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the inferior vena cava]

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare endothelial cell-derived tumor of intermediate grade malignancy. It has an unpredictable outcome, independently of the usual histoprognostic criteria. Thirty-three cases with intravascular localisation are described in the literature. We describe a case occurring in a 31-year-old male, which developed an inferior veina cava tumor, with recurrence after incomplete surgical resection and chemotherapy. He was operated on again under extracorporeal circulation and complete surgical resection was then performed. Histologic examination found an intravascular epithelioid hemangioendothelioma developing in the vascular lumen without vascular wall infiltration. This entity represents a challenge not only for the vascular surgeon, but also for the pathologist given its difficult diagnosis.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma as a rare cause of blue toe syndrome

Blue toe syndrome (BTS), is a well-known entity of toe gangrene and rest pain secondary to micro emboli lodged within the digital arteries. BTS among young patients should alert physicians to look for causes such as trauma, connective tissue disease, hypercoagulability state, and others. We hereby describe a 32-year-old female with right BTS. A mass obstructing 80% of the right popliteal artery lumen was the source of emboli. The histologic results of the replaced arterial segment revealed a thrombus on top of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. This is the first description of the association between primary vascular tumor and BTS.

Multicentric epithelioid hemangioendothelioma involving the same lower extremity: a case report and review of literature

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) is an uncommon low-grade malignant soft-tissue tumor; no case has been previously reported where multicentric epithelioid hemangioendothelioma occurred in the same lower extremity at different sites. We report a case involving the common peroneal nerve and subsequently the long bone and the short bones of the same lower extremity, and also review the literature. After establishing case of several lesions, we reviewed the histopathology properly and followed up the patient for a long time with serial whole body assessment to pick up any subsequent lesions.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of thoracic vertebra: a case report (2008: 11b)

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a rare, low-grade malignant hemangioendothelioma first reported in 1982. The disease is more likely to occur between 20 and 30 years with a 2:1 male-to-female ratio. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma may occur in multiple organs and tissues, but it rarely involves the skeleton. We present a case in a thoracic vertebra.

18F-FDG-PET/CT as an indicator for resection of pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

A 60-year-old man with a 7-year history of multiple pulmonary nodules presented to our hospital because the nodules were seen to have increased in size on review of films on a regular medical checkup 1 week earlier. Computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple pulmonary nodules with calcification in the lungs. The largest nodule measuring 2.5 cm in the maximum dimension was lobulated and ill-defined. The patient underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG-PET/CT) to evaluate the multiple nodules and to search for a primary lesion. 18F-FDG-PET/CT revealed increased uptake in only two nodules with a standardized uptake value of 4.61 and 2.10, respectively. The two foci with increased 18F-FDG uptake were resected and pathologically proven to be pulmonary epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (PEH). PEH can transform into malignancy with metastasis. An 18F-FDG-PET/CT finding may be an indicator to decide on PEH resection.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma mimicking a nerve sheath tumor clinically and on MR imaging

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a tumor of the soft tissues arising from the vascular endothelium. It is considered an intermediate grade malignancy. A 42-year-old female patient presented with pain and tingling down her right arm and a mass at the right medial upper extremity. MRI revealed an oblong mass along the course of the neurovascular bundle. Given the clinical and MR findings, a nerve sheath tumor was suspected. At surgery, the mass was adherent to both the brachial artery medially and the median nerve posteriorly. Pathology revealed epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. The imaging characteristics of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma on ultrasound, CT, and MRI are reviewed. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma can mimic a nerve sheath tumor clinically and radiologically and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors involving or adjacent to a neurovascular bundle.

Multifocal epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the phalanges of the hand

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EH) of bone is a rare vascular neoplasm characterized by epithelioid endothelial cells and a variable biologic behaviour. The principal sites of occurrence of this osteolytic tumor are the lower extremity and the axial skeleton. Approximately half of the cases present with multifocal disease. The latter feature can be helpful in suggesting the diagnosis of a vascular tumor; on the other hand, it strengthens the need for a skeletal survey or whole-body MRI/CT. We report on the clinical, histologic and radiologic features-including CT and MRI findings-of EH in a case of multifocal disease of the phalanges of the hand, a very uncommon anatomic site of affliction.

[Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of bone complicated by femoral fracture]

A 54-year-old man was seen with a fracture of the left femur. Plain radiographs revealed a 40-mm lytic centromedullary lesion. Magnetic resonance T1- and T2-weighted sequences showed high and low signals. After stabilization of the fracture, the tumor was removed followed by reconstruction with a vascularized fibula. The pathological examination demonstrated proliferation of non atypical CD34 and CD31 positive epithelioid cells with few lumens, accompanied by abundant fibrous stroma, sometimes masking tumor cells. Satisfactory motion was achieved with no recurrence at 20 months follow-up. Bone hemangioendothelioma can simulate metastasis and must be distinguished by immunohistochemistry. Prognosis is a subject of debate as the tumor is considered to exhibit intermediate malignancy by some authors while other consider it to be a malignant tumor.

Hemangioendothelioma with an epithelioid phenotype arising in hemangioma of the fibula

The classification of certain vascular bone tumors that show an epithelioid cytologic appearance remains confusing, with overlap in features of epithelioid hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Radiographs of a 27-year-old woman who presented with ankle pain showed an expanded lytic-sclerotic lesion in the distal left fibula. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an intramedullary lesion with a small lateral intracortical component. The lesion was hypo- to isointense to muscle on T1-weighted images and heterogeneously hyperintense on T2-weighted images. Initial incisional biopsy was inconclusive. Open biopsy showed hemangioendothelioma with epithelioid morphology, and the lesion was completely resected with reconstruction using a peroneal fibular rotation graft. Examination of the resected specimen showed focal hemangioendothelioma with an epithelioid phenotype arising in a hemangioma. This case illustrates the difficulty and pitfalls of making the correct diagnosis on the basis of a small biopsy specimen.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the radial artery

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an extremely rare vascular tumor of intermediate malignancy. Generally it develops from the peripheral veins (usually the femoral vein). We report on a case of EHE of the radial artery, developed in a 26-year-old male patient, which presented as a solitary painless mass. He had a complete resection of the tumor and of the segment of radial artery involved. The histologic examination revealed an intravascular EHE, with low mitotic index and with insufficient histologic anormalities.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the common femoral vein: Case report and review of the literature

A young competitive skier had venous claudication. A stenosis of the left common femoral vein was revealed by means of an examination. Exploration and vein patch angioplasty were performed, and because of both the unusual appearance (focal thickening of vein wall) and the unclear etiology of the lesion, frozen and permanent sections of the wall were obtained. Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, a rare intravascular sarcoma, was revealed by means of an examination of the permanent sections. Two additional procedures were required to completely excise the epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. We discuss these rare vascular malignancies and include a review of the available literature. Also, oncologic principles important in both the diagnosis and therapy of intravascular sarcomas are discussed.