Vascular tumors of the breast. V. Nonparenchymal hemangiomas of mammary subcutaneous tissues.

Nine patients with vascular lesions of the mammary subcutaneous tissue were studied. All were women who ranged in age from 20 to 76 years (average 53 years). The lesions were angiolipomas (three cases), cavernous hemangiomas (three cases), and one example each of juvenile hemangioma, venous hemangioma, and papillary endothelial hyperplasia. The average size of these tumors was 1.8 cm (range, 0.8-3.2 cm). Only one of the excisional biopsy specimens contained breast tissue, and in this case the hemangioma was also extra parenchymal. With follow-up available for seven patients ranging from 5 months to just over 5 years (average 29 months), there were no recurrences. Subcutaneous hemangiomas of the breast do not differ appreciably in their clinical or pathological features from comparable lesions at other anatomic sites. Although mammary subcutaneous hemangiomas are benign and are not prone to recurrence or progression to angiosarcoma, complete excision is recommended to exclude the possibility of an underlying angiosarcoma.