Question: What are the treatments for Childhood Vascular Tumors ?
Answer: Key Points
- There are different types of treatment for childhood vascular tumors. - Children with childhood vascular tumors should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children. - Some treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended. - Eleven types of standard treatment are used: - Beta-blocker therapy - Surgery - Photocoagulation - Embolization - Chemotherapy - Sclerotherapy - Radiation therapy - Targeted therapy - Immunotherapy - Other drug therapy - Observation - New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials. - Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. - Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment. - Follow-up tests may be needed.
There are different types of treatment for childhood vascular tumors.
Different types of treatment are available for children with vascular tumors. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Because vascular tumors in children are rare, taking part in a clinical trial should be considered. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Children with childhood vascular tumors should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating cancer in children.
Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist works with other pediatric health care providers who are experts in treating children with cancer and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These may include the following specialists: - Pediatric vascular anomaly specialist (expert in treating children with vascular tumors). - Pediatric surgeon. - Orthopedic surgeon. - Radiation oncologist. - Pediatric nurse specialist. - Rehabilitation specialist. - Psychologist. - Social worker.
Some treatments cause side effects months or years after treatment has ended.
Some treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, cause side effects that continue or appear months or years after treatment has ended. These are called late effects. Late effects of treatment may include: - Physical problems. - Changes in mood, feelings, thinking, learning, or memory. - Second cancers (new types of cancer). Some late effects may be treated or controlled. It is important to talk with your child's doctors about the possible late effects caused by some treatments. (See the PDQ summary on Late Effects of Treatment for Childhood Cancer for more information).
Eleven types of standard treatment are used:
Beta-blocker therapy Beta-blockers are drugs that decrease blood pressure and heart rate. When used in patients with vascular tumors, beta-blockers may help shrink the tumors. Beta-blocker therapy may be given by vein (IV), by mouth, or placed on the skin (topical). The way the beta-blocker therapy is given depends on the type of vascular tumor and where the tumor first formed. The beta-blocker propranolol is usually the first treatment for hemangiomas. Infants treated with IV propranolol may need to have their treatment started in a hospital. Propranolol is also used to treat benign vascular tumor of liver and kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Other beta-blockers used to treat vascular tumors include atenolol, nadolol, and timolol. Infantile hemangioma may also be treated with propranolol and steroid therapy or propranolol and topical beta-blocker therapy. See the drug information summary on Propranolol Hydrochloride for more information. Surgery The following types of surgery may be used to remove many types of vascular tumors: - Excision: Surgery to remove the entire tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it. - Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove a skin lesion such as a tumor. Surgery with a pulsed dye laser may be used for some hemangiomas. This type of laser uses a beam of light that targets blood vessels in the skin. The light is changed into heat and the blood vessels are destroyed without damaging nearby skin. - Total hepatectomy and liver transplant: A surgical procedure to remove the entire liver followed by a transplant of a healthy liver from a donor. - Curettage: A procedure in which abnormal tissue is removed using a small, spoon-shaped instrument called a curette. The type of surgery used depends on the type of vascular tumor and where the tumor formed in the body. For malignant tumors, even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the tumor will come back, is called adjuvant therapy. Photocoagulation Photocoagulation is the use of an intense beam of light, such as a laser, to seal off blood vessels or destroy tissue. It is used to treat pyogenic granuloma. Embolization Embolization is a procedure that uses particles, such as tiny gelatin sponges or beads, to block blood vessels in the liver. It may be used to treat some benign vascular tumors of the liver and kaposiform hemangioendothelioma. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach tumor cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect tumor cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). Chemotherapy for hemangiomas may also be given topically (applied to the skin in a cream or lotion). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type of the vascular tumor being treated. Sclerotherapy Sclerotherapy is a treatment used to destroy the blood vessel with the tumor. A liquid is injected into the blood vessel, causing it to scar and break down. Over time, the destroyed blood vessel is absorbed into normal tissue. The blood flows through nearby healthy veins instead. Sclerotherapy is used in the treatment of epithelioid hemangioma. Radiation therapy Radiation therapy is a treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill tumor cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy: - External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the tumor. - Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the tumor. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type of the vascular tumor being treated. External radiation is used to treat some vascular tumors. Targeted therapy Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to attack specific tumor cells. Targeted therapies usually cause less harm to normal cells than chemotherapy or radiation therapy do. Angiogenesis inhibitors are a type of targeted therapy. - Angiogenesis inhibitors are drugs that stop cells from dividing and prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. The targeted therapy drugs thalidomide, sorafenib, pazopanib, sirolimus, and bevacizumab are angiogenesis inhibitors used to treat childhood vascular tumors. Immunotherapy Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses the patients immune system to fight disease. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost, direct, or restore the bodys natural defenses against disease. Interferon is a type of immunotherapy used to treat childhood vascular tumors. It interferes with the division of tumor cells and can slow tumor growth. It is used in the treatment of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, kaposiform hemangioendothelioma, and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma. Other drug therapy Other drugs used to treat childhood vascular tumors or manage their effects include the following: - Steroid therapy: Steroids are hormones made naturally in the body. They can also be made in a laboratory and used as drugs. Steroid drugs help shrink some vascular tumors. - Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): NSAIDs are commonly used to decrease fever, swelling, pain, and redness. Examples of NSAIDs are aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. In the treatment of vascular tumors, NSAIDs can increase the flow of blood through the tumors and decrease the chance that an unwanted blood clot will form. - Antifibrinolytic therapy: These drugs help the blood clot in patients who have Kasabach-Merritt syndrome. Fibrin is the main protein in a blood clot that helps stop bleeding and heal wounds. Some vascular tumors cause fibrin to break down and the patient's blood does not clot normally, causing uncontrolled bleeding. Antifibrinolytics help prevent the breakdown of fibrin. Observation Observation is closely monitoring a patients condition without giving any treatment until signs or symptoms appear or change.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment. Many of today's standard treatments are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment. Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way disease will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose tumors have not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop tumors from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of treatment. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. See the Treatment Options section that follows for links to current treatment clinical trials. These have been retrieved from NCI's listing of clinical trials.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
Some of the tests that were done to diagnose the vascular tumor may be repeated. Some tests will be repeated in order to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests. Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your child's condition has changed or if the tumor has recurred (come back). These tests are sometimes called follow-up tests or check-ups.