Vincristine--An Effective Treatment of Corticoid-resistant Life-threatening Infantile Hemangiomas

Abstract

Infantile hemangioma is a rapidly growing tumor that usually occurs during the e rst year of is life. It can be life-threatening if it affects vital structures, if it is combined with a thrombocytopenic coagulopathy (Kasabach-Merritt syndrome), or, if due to its large size, it diverts a large amount of blood e ow and causes hyperdynamic cardiac failure. Use of corticosteroids is the treatment of choice. Response rates vary between 30% and 60% (1). In the case of resistance to steroid treatment (40%‐70%), alternatives are needed (2). We present here three cases of children affected by life-endangering hemangiomas (one of them suffering from KasabachMerritt syndrome, another from a liver hemangioendothelioma and the third from a large posterior chest wall hemangioendothelioma) which did not respond to steroid treatment and were subsequently successfully treated with vincristine.