title: Multifocal kaposiform haemangioendothelioma.
abstract: Kaposiform haemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare, locally aggressive vascular spindle cell proliferation, with resemblance to Kaposi's sarcoma. This tumour usually occurs in skin and retroperitoneum of infants and young children and is often complicated by the Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon (KMP). A 3-year-old boy presented with a right submandibular swelling due to lymphadenopathies, a violaceous skin lesion at the left commissure of the lips and an ill-defined lesion in the right thyroid lobe. There were some signs of KMP. Histological examination revealed a typical infiltrative multilobular spindle cell proliferation with slit-like vascular spaces in these three localisations. Immunohistochemical stains showed positivity for CD34 and CD31 and many alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive spindle cells around the vascular spaces. There was no Herpes virus type 8 expression. The presented case is unique in two ways. First, thyroid involvement of KHE has never been described in the literature until now. Secondly, and most remarkably, the multifocal presentation in three anatomically distinct and separated localisations is extremely unusual.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Hospital St. Rafaël, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Minderbroedersstraat 12, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deraedt
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vander Poorten
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Geet
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Renard
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Wever
authors.forename: Raf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sciot
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006390:Hemangioendothelioma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis; D012514:Sarcoma, Kaposi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013365:Submandibular Gland Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013577:Syndrome; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1