Hematology-Oncology Services for Vascular Anomalies
At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, patients with complex vascular anomalies benefit from the expertise of pediatric hematologist-oncologists. These blood disease and cancer specialists tailor advanced medical therapies to your child’s needs. Receiving these services does not mean that your child has cancer or that a vascular tumor will become cancerous.
Our multidisciplinary team helps children with vascular anomalies heal and move forward with life. Children’s Hospital excels in treating the rarest forms of these disorders. Our concern for your family’s peace of mind helps you have the best experience possible.
Hematology-Oncology Services for Vascular Anomalies: Why Choose Us
When vascular malformations and tumors do not respond to standard therapies, your child still has options. These conditions require specialized care from our highly skilled experts. Children’s Hospital offers treatments that slow anomaly growth while protecting your child’s well-being.
Highlights of our program include:
- Expertise: Children’s Hospital has been a trusted source for pediatric hematology-oncology care for decades. This tradition of excellence continues today by delivering the highest level of medical therapy for vascular anomalies. Your child receives care from hematologist-oncologists who specialize in treating the rarest anomalies.
- Pioneering care: Children’s Hospital was among the first programs in the country using the cancer drug sirolimus to treat vascular anomalies. This drug halts abnormal cell growth, making it possible to treat some conditions without surgery. We continue advancing the field through vascular anomalies research.
- Genetic testing: For certain vascular anomalies, genetic testing helps us determine whether medical therapies can help. These anomalies are often due to gene mutations. Identifying the specific mutation helps your child receive precise treatments that promote healing. Explore genetic testing for vascular anomalies.
- Supportive care: Sirolimus and other drugs take time to start working. But when symptoms make your child’s daily life uncomfortable, healing can’t come soon enough. We provide relief with custom compression garments, pain medications and other medical therapies.
Advanced Medical Therapies for Vascular Anomalies
Children’s Hospital is at the leading edge of medical therapies for vascular anomalies. We use targeted treatments that are gentler on growing bodies. These drugs were initially approved to treat other medical conditions. But research has demonstrated that they are safe and effective for specific vascular anomalies.
Advanced medical therapies for vascular anomalies include:
- Immunosuppressants: Care may include sirolimus, a kidney transplant drug that prevents organ rejection. In vascular tumors and lymphatic and venous malformations, sirolimus slows the development of abnormal cells.
- Genetic targeted agents: For some patients, we may give medications that target the exact genetic cause of vascular malformations. Aleplisib is a newly approved medication that quiets the mutation in the PIK3CA gene that causes PROS. This can slow growth of vascular malformations, and in many cases, decrease the size of overgrowth.
- Chemotherapy: In some cases, cancer medications are a part of your child’s vascular anomaly treatment. Undergoing chemotherapy does not mean your child has cancer. These medicines slow the growth of vascular anomalies and may make them smaller. Chemotherapy can also turn off specific genes that lead to vascular anomalies.
Clotting and Bleeding Disorder Care for Vascular Anomalies
Some anomalies, including venous malformations, increase the risk of blood clots. A blood clot is a clump of blood cells that can travel through the blood stream and possibly block a blood vessel. Hemangiomas and certain vascular tumors can cause bleeding disorders. These disorders cause bleeding that can be difficult to stop.
Clotting and bleeding disorders raise your child’s risk of complications. Our hematologist-oncologists deliver therapies to help your child stay safe and comfortable.
Blood clot prevention
Vascular anomalies can cause the body to repeatedly build up and break down blood clots. This can lead to:
- Inflammation and swelling that affect appearance or the ability to move limbs.
- Pain that can become severe enough to require treatment in the hospital.
Our hematologist-oncologists deliver therapies to prevent and treat blood clots from vascular malformations. Treatments may include low-dose aspirin or prescription medications to thin the blood.
Bleeding disorder treatments
Some vascular anomalies decrease the volume of platelets and other proteins that help the body stop bleeding. This can lead to significant blood loss, even with small cuts. Some children experience a rare, potentially life-threatening condition, Kasabach-Merritt phenomenon, which is a very severe type of bleeding disorder.
Bleeding disorder care may include:
- Blood or platelet transfusions
- Iron supplements
- Medications to help the body stop bleeding
- Procedures such as embolization to close off abnormal vessels
Second Opinions and Adult Consultations for Medical Vascular Anomalies Therapies
Vascular anomalies can be challenging to diagnose and may have numerous treatment options. That’s why many families seek second opinions. Hearing from several specialists is especially helpful for fast-growing or syndromic vascular anomalies. Get more information about online second opinions.
We also offer adult consultations for patients 21 and older. This includes people whose symptoms do not appear until later in life, or those who have ongoing care needs. We provide personalized care recommendations and may coordinate a referral to the appropriate adult specialist.
Comprehensive Vascular Anomalies Care for Children
We offer access to multiple pediatric subspecialists in one convenient location in Los Angeles. Find out more about our Vascular Anomalies Center.
