[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [General pathology](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/) › [Blood vessels](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/areas/vessels/) › Benign vascular tumours

# Benign vascular tumours

- Lesion

Most vascular growths are benign: red birthmarks that shrink, bleeding nodules on gums and fingers, lymph-filled cysts and painful nail-bed lumps.

Updated Nov 12, 2026

## Key points

- Juvenile (strawberry) haemangioma: appears in the first weeks, grows for months, then regresses in most children by school age.
- Pyogenic granuloma (lobular capillary haemangioma): fast-growing, bleeding polyp on skin or gums, often after trauma or in pregnancy (granuloma gravidarum).
- Cavernous haemangioma: large dilated channels; does not regress; liver is a common site; von Hippel–Lindau syndrome has haemangioblastomas and cavernous lesions.
- Cystic hygroma (cavernous lymphangioma) of the neck: Turner syndrome and other fetal aneuploidies.
- Glomus tumour: small, very painful red-blue nodule under the fingernail, worse with cold.
- Bacillary angiomatosis: Bartonella in HIV or transplant patients; neutrophils and organisms visible on Warthin–Starry silver stain; cured by antibiotics.

## What it is

Vascular tumours range from benign haemangiomas, through intermediate (borderline) tumours that recur and rarely spread, to malignant angiosarcoma. Haemangiomas are the commonest tumours of infancy; capillary, juvenile (strawberry), cavernous and lobular capillary (pyogenic granuloma) types differ in vessel size and behaviour. Lymphangiomas are the lymphatic counterpart. The glomus tumour arises from modified smooth-muscle cells of the glomus body and is painful. Bacillary angiomatosis is an infection by Bartonella in immunocompromised people that mimics a vascular tumour.

## Structure

- Capillary haemangioma: lobules of thin-walled capillaries lined by flat endothelium; strawberry haemangioma is cellular early and fibroses as it regresses.
- Cavernous haemangioma: large blood-filled spaces lined by endothelium with thin fibrous walls; may thrombose and calcify.
- Pyogenic granuloma: lobular capillaries in edematous stroma, often ulcerated with inflammation like granulation tissue.
- Lymphangioma: thin-walled lymphatic spaces with protein-rich fluid, lymphoid aggregates in the stroma.
- Glomus tumour: nests of uniform round cells with central nuclei around vessels, smooth-muscle actin positive.
- Bacillary angiomatosis: capillary proliferation with plump endothelium, neutrophils, nuclear dust and clumps of bacteria.

## Vascular tumours by behaviour

| Group | Examples | Behaviour |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Benign | Capillary, juvenile and cavernous haemangioma; pyogenic granuloma; lymphangioma; glomus tumour | Do not spread; some regress |
| Reactive, tumour-like | Bacillary angiomatosis, granulation tissue | Resolve when the cause is treated |
| Intermediate (borderline) | Kaposi sarcoma, some haemangioendotheliomas | Recur locally, metastasise rarely |
| Malignant | Angiosarcoma, epithelioid haemangioendothelioma | Invasive, metastasise |
| Useful markers | CD31, CD34, ERG (endothelium); D2-40 (lymphatics); GLUT1 in infantile haemangioma | Confirm endothelial origin |

## Clinical notes

- Large infantile haemangiomas near the eye or airway need treatment; most others are observed as they regress.
- Many haemangiomas of the liver are found by chance on imaging and need no treatment.

## Memory aid

A strawberry that fades, a bleeding granuloma that is neither pus nor granuloma, a painful nail glomus, and a germ that pretends to be a tumour.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## What usually happens to a juvenile (strawberry) haemangioma?

It grows rapidly in the first months of life and then regresses in most children by school age.

## Which stain shows the bacteria of bacillary angiomatosis?

The Warthin–Starry silver stain (Bartonella organisms).

## Where does a glomus tumour typically occur, and what is the symptom?

Under the fingernail (distal digit); it causes severe pain, often triggered by cold or pressure.

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## Connections

## Related 6

- [Kaposi sarcoma](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/kaposi-sarcoma/)
- [Haemangioendothelioma and angiosarcoma](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/haemangioendothelioma-and-angiosarcoma/)
- [Vascular ectasias](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/vascular-ectasias/)
- [Naming tumours: -oma, carcinoma, sarcoma, and the misleading names](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/naming-tumours-oma-carcinoma-sarcoma-and-the-misleading-names/)
- [Immunohistochemistry: the principle and the markers to know](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/immunohistochemistry-the-principle-and-the-markers-to-know/)
- [Benign liver masses](https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/benign-liver-masses/)

## Related conditions 3

- [Infantile hemangioma](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/infantile-hemangioma/)
- [Benign liver lesions (haemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia, adenoma)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/benign-liver-lesions/)
- [HIV infection and AIDS](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/hiv-infection-and-aids/)

## Microorganisms 1

- [Bartonella](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/bartonella/)

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Educational content on the mechanisms of disease; not a diagnostic or treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [Hemangioma: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001459.htm) (MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine, 2025); [Childhood Vascular Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version](https://www.cancer.gov/types/soft-tissue-sarcoma/hp/child-vascular-tumors-treatment-pdq) (National Cancer Institute, 2025).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/general-pathology/benign-vascular-tumours/