title: Clinicopathologic characterization of oral angioleiomyomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to better define the clinicopathologic features of oral angioleiomyomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective search was performed for angioleiomyomas among all smooth muscle tumors accessioned from 1963 to 2001 in an oral pathology service. Twelve lesions met histopathologic criteria for inclusion in the study and were combined with 97 additional cases identified from the English language literature, yielding 109 cases for evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients with oral angioleiomyomas was 45.0 years, with a 1.43:1 male to female predilection. The most frequently reported site was the lip, in 48.6% of patients, followed by the palate (21.1%), buccal mucosa and tongue (each 9.2%), mandible (8.3%), and buccal sulcus, labial sulcus, floor of mouth, and gingiva (each 0.9%). Most mucosal lesions varied in size from a few millimeters to 2 cm, with most central lesions of the mandible measuring greater than 2 cm. Although angioleiomyomas are vascular lesions, only 55.9% of cases appeared red, blue, or purple; the remainder were gray, white, or the color of normal mucosa. Tumors were typically described as painless and manifested a low growth rate. All lesions were well circumscribed and composed of numerous vascular spaces surrounded by thick smooth muscle walls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Oral angioleiomyomas are benign smooth muscle tumors with a limited degree of morbidity. Careful histologic inspection is necessary to distinguish these lesions from their malignant counterpart, the leiomyosarcoma. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice, and recurrence is rarely encountered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Pathology, Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, Dental School, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 21201-1586, USA. oralpath5@aol.com
authors.forename: John K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.forename: Nikolaos G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Nikitakis
authors.forename: Nelson J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Bernard A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Levy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018229:Angiomyoma / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003094:Collagen / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008048:Lip Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000473:pathology; D010157:Palatal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D010858:Pigmentation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen