Clinicopathological Analysis of Pulmonary Sclerosing Hemangioma

Background Sclerosing hemangiomas of the lung are uncommon tumors and are thought to be benign. However, the histogenesis and clinicopathological features of these tumors have not been elucidated. Methods We analyzed the clinicopathological features of 26 sclerosing hemangiomas. The immunoreactivity for Ki-67 and p53 of sclerosing hemangiomas was determined and compared with that of pathological stage 1 pulmonary papillary adenocarcinomas. Results The patients of sclerosing hemangioma were predominantly female. Eighteen patients were detected as a result of routine medical examinations and 15 were nonsmokers. Seven patients underwent tumor enucleation, 10 underwent a wedge resection, and 9 underwent a lobectomy. The mean tumor size was 2.2 cm (range 1 to 5 cm). Pathological findings demonstrated a papillary pattern in 23 cases, sclerotic pattern in 26 cases, hemorrhagic pattern in 22 cases and a solid pattern in 25 cases. Twenty-five cases had an excellent prognosis with no evidence of recurrence following surgery. However, 1 patient who had undergone a wedge resection developed a local recurrence and required an additional wedge resection. The Ki-67 labeling index of sclerosing hemangiomas was significantly lower than that of adenocarcinomas, whereas the Ki-67 labeling index of the recurrent case was 0.4%. No significant immunohistochemical staining for p53 was observed in sclerosing hemangioma cases. Conclusions Sclerosing hemangioma exhibits various histologic findings. Although we experienced one case with a recurrent tumor, sclerosing hemangiomas did not exhibit malignant behavior.