They are the most common tumor of childhood. About one in every 20 infants has a hemangioma. They are seen in all racial groups but seem to be more common in Caucasians. Hemangiomas happen more often in girls, premature infants, and multiple births like twins and triplets.
About 4 to 5% of infants have an infantile hemangioma, and some babies are born with more than one. Their specific cause is unknown, but they tend to be more common in girls, in premature babies, and in twins and triplets.
Most infantile hemangiomas cause no complications and go away without treatment. Between 4 to 10 percent of Caucasian infants are born with at least one hemangioma, and they are three to five time more common in females (especially fair-skinned ones) than males.
Hemangiomas are common growths of blood vessels found on your skin. These growths can appear anywhere on your body, especially on your face, chest and back, as red or purple lumps. Hemangiomas are usually harmless and tend to resolve on their own.
Most hemangiomas will not need treatment. However, your doctor or dermatologist should monitor them. Large and risky hemangiomas that affect eyesight, breathing, or are at high risk of bleeding may need help. Surgery can remove larger hemangiomas that are a risk to your child's health.
PHACE syndrome is an association between large infantile hemangiomas of the face, head and / or neck and developmental defects of the eyes, heart, major arteries and brain. The cause of PHACE syndrome is unknown.
The prognosis is very good for uncomplicated IH and there is complete involution in the majority of cases. 50% of hemangiomas will resolve in 5 years, 70% by 7 years and 90% by 9 years.
Most infantile hemangiomas do not need to be treated with surgery. Surgery is less common now than in years past because of the medicines available now that are safe and effective. Hemangiomas that have noticeable scar tissue left after shrinking may need surgery.
The most common birth defect, affecting about 2 percent of all newborns, hemangiomas are benign, blood vessel tumors that can appear anywhere on a child's body, at or shortly after birth, occurring more often in females than males.
The cause for hemangiomas and vascular malformations is usually sporadic (occurs by chance). However, they can also be inherited in a family as an autosomal dominant trait.
Most strawberry hemangiomas are harmless. But some hemangiomas do cause problems if they: Form near the eye: These hemangiomas may spread into the eye socket and press on the eye, affecting vision. They raise the risk of problems like glaucoma or lazy eye (amblyopia).
Hemangiomas are more common in babies born prematurely (before their due date), at a low birth weight, or as part of a multiple birth (twins, triplets, etc.). A child can have more than one hemangioma. Hemangiomas may run in families, but no genetic cause has been found.
Because hemangiomas very rarely become cancerous, most do not require any medical treatment. However, some hemangiomas can be disfiguring, and many people seek a doctor's care for cosmetic reasons.
While hemangioma liver lesions themselves do not pose a threat, they do present a diagnostic challenge. Hemangiomas share similar characteristics to other liver lesions, and are commonly mistaken for malignant hyper vascular tumors of the liver, such as hepatoma (hepatocellular carcinoma) and fibrolamellar carcinoma.
Percutaneous biopsy of a hepatic hemangioma carries an increased risk of hemorrhage. Liver biopsy is contraindicated in most circumstances where a hemangioma is high in the differential diagnosis of a hepatic mass. Liver biopsy can help provide an unequivocal histologic diagnosis and may shorten the diagnostic workup.
Most hemangiomas grow larger during the first year of life. Growth is typically fastest in the first 6 months. They then shrink slowly over the next few years. A hemangioma can cause problems if it affects body functions (such as vision and breathing), bleeds often, or breaks through the skin (called ulcerating).
Infantile hemangiomas typically go through three characteristic phases: proliferation, plateau, and involution.
Hemangioma is a noncancerous tumor, which means it cannot become cancerous. It is a bright reddish-blue enlargement of the blood vessel.
The transformation of a benign hemangioma into a malignant angiosarcoma has been rarely reported, with only 11 cases reported in the literature.
Types of Hemangiomas
Superficial (on the surface of the skin): These look flat at first, and then become bright red with a raised, uneven surface. Deep (under the skin): These appear as a bluish-purple swelling with a smooth surface.
A cherry hemangioma is a small macule (small, flat, smooth area) or papule (small, solid bump) formed from an overgrowth of tiny blood vessels in the skin. Cherry hemangiomas are characteristically red or purplish in color. They often first appear in middle adulthood and usually increase in number with age.
These conditions can be life-threatening if they're large or affect your child's airway or another organ. A hemangioma can also be serious if it has uncontrollable bleeding. Depending on where your child's growth is located, it may cause physical problems.