Endothelial Cells of Intramuscular (Infantile) Hemangioma Express Glut1

Abstract

Glut1 is a marker of infantile hemangioma, and its positivity has resulted in defining this tumor at several sites (eg, skin, breast, salivary glands, liver, and placenta). We herein report on the presence of Glut1 positivity in the endothelial cells of 2 examples of intramuscular hemangioma, a peculiar tumor considered to be most probably congenital. The finding expands the sites where infantile hemangioma may be recognized and suggests that this intramuscular variety should be renamed intramuscular infantile hemangioma. An additional previously unreported finding was the presence of a strong membranous pattern of staining for Glut1 in the intralesional fat cells, a known component of the tumor, which parallels that of another endothelial marker, namely CD34. These findings could prove useful for diagnostic purposes in small biopsies.