Vascular transformation of lymph node sinuses. A process displaying a spectrum of histologic features.

Nonneoplastic vascular lesions in lymph nodes have been infrequently reported. These lesions are believed to be rare and display histologic features ranging from minimal changes associated with vasodilation to vascular proliferative lesions resembling Kaposi's sarcoma. The spectrum of histologic features observed in these cases appears to be the result of the extent and duration of regional lymphatic and/or venous obstruction. We describe two such cases, one presenting in a 66-year-old black woman, after undergoing radical mastectomy for treatment of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast following a breast biopsy; the other presenting in a 66-year-old black man with obstruction of the subclavian vein. We consider these cases worthy of review, both from a diagnostic standpoint and in the differential diagnosis of vascular neoplasms of lymph nodes, especially Kaposi's sarcoma.