Infantile hemangioma

Infantile hemangioma is the most common tumor in children, but its pathophysiology is still not well understood. Infantile hemangioma develops during the first weeks of life, usually builds up over 3 to 6 months, and then regresses very slowly over a period of 3 to 7 years. Three quarters of these hemangiomas are lobular and are not associated with malformations. On the other hand, the hemangiomas referred to as segmental may be associated with developmental abnormalities (PHACES and PELVIS/SACRAL syndromes). Because of their spontaneous involution, most infantile hemangiomas do not require therapeutic intervention. In 10 to 15 % of cases, treatment is necessary because of complications when life or physiological functioning is threatened, or there are local complications or the long-term esthetic risk is too high. Until now, the standard first-line treatment has been general corticosteroid therapy. The usual choice for second-line treatment is interferon or vincristine. The efficacy of propranolol, a non-cardioselective beta-blocker, was recently reported.