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WHAT IS HAEMANGIOMA?
Haemangiomas are benign tumors of blood vessels which are com-
mon in children and known as red birth marks among people. Al-
though it is known as a vascular tumor, it really does not associated
with malignancy. The reason for the follow up of these patients
by pediatric oncologists is because they are more close to these
patients than other pediatric sub-specialties.
In many parts of the world, from Indians to Eskimos, they are
known as ‘craving spots’. It has been thought that these spots were
appearing in the baby because of craving but not able to eat cheery,
strawberry and melon of pregnant women. The real etiology is usu-
ally unknown. They are more frequent in girls and prematures.
TYPES OF HAEMANGIOMA
Simple Type
Haemangiomas have different shapes. The most common
ones are observed as color changes in the skin. The congeni-
tal ones in the forehead named as ‘angel kiss’ and at the back
part of the neck named as ‘stork bite’ vanishes in time. They
do not need any treatment.
Extented Type
Haemangiomas may be present as multiple lesions all over
the body from small milimetric ones to several centimeters in
size. These types of haemangiomas are named as haemangio-
matosis in medicine. The possibility of these multiple lesions
to be also in internal organs (especially in liver) is high. Inter-
nal organs for haemangioma should be investigated in these
patients with multiple haemangiomas.
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