Angiomatous lymphoid hamartoma. Report of five cases with a review of the literature

Abstract

Five new cases of angiomatous lymphoid hamartoma (synonym: lymph node hyperplasia, Castleman, 1954) are reported, and 57 cases from the literature are reviewed. Three of the 5 intrathoracic tumors showed clinicopathologic characteristics comparable with those described in the literature. These included: (1) a nonspecific clinical presentation; (2) microscopic features consisting of normal or abnormal lymphoid follicles and an interfollicular stroma that contained numerous blood vessels and lymphocytes; and (3) a benign course after surgical excision. The 2 cases of tumor in the retroperitoneum are the first to be reported to occur in this site and were significant in that both roentgenographically resembled malignant tumors. Morphologic studies of the tumors suggest that angiomatous lymphoid hamartoma represents a vascular hamartoma occurring in a lymph node; and that the abnormal follicles are the result of distortion by proliferating blood vessels abutting previously normal lymphatic follicles. Copyright © 1967 American Cancer Society