Lobular capillary hemangioma

by Jason Wasserman MD PhD FRCPC
April 16, 2022

What is a lobular capillary hemangioma?

A lobular capillary hemangioma is a common non-cancerous type of tumour made up of blood vessels and inflammatory cells. The tumour is usually round, and the surface may appear bright red. Lobular capillary hemangioma often appear suddenly and the tumour may grow very quickly at first only to decrease in size gradually slowly over several days or weeks. Without treatment, some tumours will disappear entirely. Another name for this tumour is pyogenic granuloma.

Where are lobular capillary hemangiomas normally found?

A lobular capillary hemangioma can be found anywhere in the body. However, the most common locations include the nose, lips and mouth, and skin.

What are the symptoms of a lobular capillary hemangioma?

Some lobular capillary hemangiomas are painful, and the tumour may bleed when touched.

What causes a lobular capillary hemangioma?

Most lobular capillary hemangiomas develop following a minor injury such as a scratch or burn. This is especially true for tumours that start inside the mouth (oral cavity) or nose (nasal cavity). However, for some patients, no cause can be identified. Pregnant women are more susceptible to developing these types of tumours, especially on the lips. When this tumour develops in a pregnant woman it is given the name granuloma gravidarum.

How do pathologists make the diagnosis of lobular capillary hemangioma?

The diagnosis is usually made after the entire tumour is removed and sent to a pathologist to examine under the microscope.

What does a lobular capillary hemangioma look like under the microscope?

When examined under the microscope, the cells on the outer surface of the tissue are damaged or lost. Pathologists call this an ulcer. Further down, the tumour is made up of many small and medium-sized blood vessels. The smaller vessels tend to surround the medium-sized vessels in pattern pathologists describe as lobular.

The tissue surrounding the blood vessels is made up of fluid and specialized inflammatory cells including neutrophils, plasma cells, and lymphocytes. The combination of blood vessels and inflammatory cells within a lobular capillary hemangioma makes the tumour look similar to granulation tissue, a type of tissue that forms after an injury. For this reason, many doctors consider lobular capillary hemangioma to be a tumour-like reaction to an earlier injury.