Abstract

The study describes the case of a male infant with giant hemangioma (localised on the head, neck and upper part of thorax) with highly progressive, life-threatening symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulation and superior vena cava syndrome. Due to lack of improvement after initial treatment with large doses of corticosteroids and deficient haemostatic factor substitution, we used interferon alfa-2b treatment in everyday doses of 3 mlnU/m2,/day. After a week of treatment, the general condition of the patient improved, the severity of symptoms of superior vena cava syndrome decreased. The hemangioma was progressively decreasing, the haemostasis parameters were returning to normal values (their full normalisation was obtained after 4 months of treatment). In the fifth month, hemangioma transiently increased its diameters and signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation returned, so the dose of interferon was transiently increased. Interferon treatment was applied for the total of 12 months, resulting in very good clinical outcome without major side effects. The case described here confirms that treatment with interferon alfa creates new therapeutic possibilities in situations regarded so far as hopeless.

Keywords: giant hemangioma, Kasabach-Merritt syndrome, treatment, interferon alfa