About the disease
Vascular tumor is a tumor of a benign origin, which usually develops in blood vessels. Overall, vascular system consists of all blood vessels, which carry blood to all organs from the heart. These blood vessels include arteries, various veins and capillaries located closest to the skin. In some cases, these blood vessels can become thick and form a tumor. Most commonly, such tumor is not malignant and does not turn into cancer, although it can greatly affect the blood circulation of the body and cause development of slots.
Most commonly, vascular diseases are caused by genetic predisposition. It usually develops in older age, when the whole vascular system becomes less active and more susceptible to degenerative changes. High cholesterol level and obesity can also contribute to the development of vascular tumor in adults. Heart and endocrinological diseases, such as diabetes can also cause development of vascular tumor. In some cases smoking and alcohol affect the blood vessels as well.
Most common types of vascular tumors are hemangioma, which mostly forms in infants, lymphangioma, which manifests itself in abnormal swelling of the lymph nodes, and angiosarcoma, which develops on the walls of blood vessels.
Symptoms
- Growth of red or pink colour, visible on the skin
- Fever
- Increased or decreased blood pressure
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Strange marks on the skin
Diagnosis
During general examination a doctor will examine the skin of a patient to determine if there are any abnormal marks or patches which can indicate the problem with capillaries or arteries. He will also measure the blood pressure to see if there any deviations from the normal heart beat.
MRI and CT scans are used to determine if there are any growths, which might be vascular tumors. If these growths are visible, they do not present any difficulty in diagnosis. If they are latent, a doctor may examine by imaging of all arteries and blood vessels in order to find the exact location of the tumor, its type and stage.
ECG is used to measure the electrical activity of the patient and determine if vascular tumor in any way has affected the blood circulation or if there is a danger of blood clotting in future, which in some cases can lead to thrombosis, that can sometimes present a lethal danger.
Treatment
Radiosurgery (Gamma Knife) is the most innovative and efficient type of surgery for vascular tumors, as it allows the doctor to resect the tumor with making an open incision by using radiosurgery. Gamma Knife can completely destruct the growth, which creates obstruction and manifests itself in pain and also preserve normal blood circulation. It can also resect the vascular tumor if it is developed in the lymph nodes.
Authors: Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova, Dr. Sergey Pashchenko
