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Prolonged tumour growth after treatment of infantile haemangioma with propranolol

Roderic J Phillips, Catherine M Crock, Anthony J Penington and Philip S Bekhor
Med J Aust 2017; 206 (3): . || doi: 10.5694/mja16.00846
Published online: 20 February 2017

Infantile haemangioma is the most common tumour of infancy, sometimes requiring treatment because of the risk of functional impairment or permanent scarring. Growth usually ceases by 12 months of age, and the tumour gradually regresses. In 2008, a review of all patients previously seen in seven international treatment centres identified only five children in whom any haemangioma growth was seen beyond 2 years of age, and none beyond 4 years.1


  • 1 Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC
  • 2 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC
  • 3 Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC


Correspondence: rod.phillips@me.com

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Brandling-Bennett HA, Baselga E, Lucky AW, et al. Infantile hemangiomas with unusually prolonged growth phase. Arch Dermatol 2008; 144: 1632-1637.
  • 2. Leaute-Labreze C, Hoeger P, Mazereeuw-Hautier J, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of oral propranolol in infantile hemangioma. N Engl J Med 2015; 372: 735-746.
  • 3. Phillips RJ, Penington AJ, Bekhor PS, Crock CM. Use of propranolol for treatment of infantile haemangiomas in an outpatient setting. J Paediatr Child Health 2012; 48: 902-906.
  • 4. Shah SD, Baselga E, McCuaig C, et al. Rebound growth of infantile hemangiomas after propranolol therapy. Pediatrics 2016; 137: e20151754.
  • 5. Munabi NC, England RW, Edwards AK, et al. Propranolol targets hemangioma stem cells via cAMP and mitogen-activated protein kinase regulation. Stem Cells Transl Med 2016; 5: 45-55.

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