Angioleiomyoma—rare soft tissue tumor of the foot and ankle, review of two patients and review of the literature

Abstract

Angioleiomyomas are relatively rare benign soft tissue tumors which often occur in the extremities. The true etiology is largely unknown and is seldom associated with pain. They are rarely diagnosed preoperatively as the clinical and radiological examinations are often nonspecific and inconclusive. The patients may face a considerable delay before a specialist treatment is sought due to the varied presentation/missed diagnosis preoperatively. This delay highlights the need for better characterizing the diagnosis and treatment of angioleiomyomas in clinical setting to expand awareness of this pathology, the differential diagnosis of lower extremity soft tissue tumors and the need for ongoing publication of such case reports. We wish to present two patients who came in with foot and ankle swellings and heel pain. Post-excision, these swellings were histologically diagnosed as benign angioleiomyomas.

Angioleiomyoma: Challenging Diagnosis of an Ankle Tumor

“…Angioleiomyoma is one of the three different forms of leiomyoma, which is also known as vascular leiomyoma [1,2]. They seem to be more prevalent in women, and typically affect patients in their fourth to sixth decades of life [3].…”

“…Further researches are required to establish an accurate preoperative diagnosis, avoid therapy delays, enhance results, and assist in ruling out the development of malignancies [1]. towards other types of neoplasms.…”

“…Typically, angioleiomyomas appear as a compact, spherical mobile mass that develops from the deep dermis and subcutaneous tissues. They usually have small dimensions (0.5-2 cm in diameter) [1].…”

“…Angioleiomyomas or Vascular angioleiomyomas are smooth muscle tumors that emerge from the tunica media of the subcutaneous blood vessels [1,2]. Angioleiomyomas are a type of leiomyoma that are assumed to be benign and have mesenchymal origins [3].…”

“…They are slow-growing masses that can be asymptomatic; as a result, their preoperative diagnosis is relatively rare [1][2][3][4]. This emphasizes how critical it is to further characterize the clinical diagnosis and management of angioleiomyomas in order to raise awareness of this pathology as a potential differential diagnosis for lower extremity soft tissue tumor [4].…”