Intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of hemangiomas

Background: Hemangiomas, although often small at birth, enter a proliferative phase in which growth may be rapid and unpredictable. Furthermore, involution often takes many years, with attendant psychological sequelae to the child. This is aggravated by the fact that most hemangiomas affect the head and neck and are visible and difficult to conceal. Methods: Thirty children (five boys and 25 girls) were treated at a pediatric teaching hospital during an 18-month period with a protocol of intralesional bleomycin, 0.3 to 0.6 mg/kg (per dose), administered under general anesthesia. The lesions were measured and photographed serially. Complications were also recorded. Results: The mean age of the children was 20 months (range, 3 months to 8 years) and the mean number of injections given was five (range, three to eight). The mean total dose administered was 13.6 mg (range, 1.4 to 25 mg). Outcome was assessed by a panel of five plastic surgeons. Twenty-two children were assessed as achieving a response of greater than 75 percent reduction in the size of the hemangioma (of which 10 children were assessed as having total involution >90 percent response). In seven children, there was a 50 to 75 percent reduction in size of the hemangiomas, and one child was judged to have a 25 to 50 percent reduction in size of the hemangioma. Hyperpigmentation was the most common complication, and occurred in 13 children. The mean follow-up period was 14 months (range, 3 to 35 months). Conclusions: Intralesional bleomycin is another method with which to treat hemangiomas in children and may be particularly helpful for large hemangiomas of the head and neck. Repeated general anesthetics are required, and scarring with hyperpigmentation may occur.