Epidemiological features and risks of hemangiomas

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of childhood. The known risk factors in developing hemangiomas are female gender, prematurity and low birth weight. Our study was designed to investigate prenatal and natal risk factors in addition to the above factors that would potentially affect development of hemangiomas. Two hundred forty hemangioma patients and 100 healthy controls were included in the study. Both groups were interviewed for age, gender, prenatal characteristics (presence of maternal pregnancy hypotension, hypertension and hyperemesis, parental smoking habits) as well as natal characteristics (delivery, birth weight, gestational age) and maternal-paternal age. Hemangiomas were mostly localized in the head and neck. Risk of developing hemangioma was higher in girls and in firstlings. History of hyperemesis during pregnancy increased incidence of hemangioma. Post-term delivery was found to be protective against developing hemangioma. We are in the opinion that there is a need for wider studies with a bigger sample size so as to detect other risk factors

Features of Congenital Hemangiomas

Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of childhood. The known risk factors are female gender, prematurity, and low birth weight. In this study, it is planned to investigate prenatal and natal risk factors which may affect hemangioma development in addition to these factors. The study included 114 patients with congenital hemangioma and 100 healthy children as the control group. Age, sex, prenatal characteristics of two groups (use of drugs, diseases, hypo-hypertension and hyperemesis during pregnancy, parental smoking), natal features (type of birth, birth weight, gestation age), parents' age, parents' diseases and medications used were questioned. The most frequent site of congenital hemangiomas was the head and neck region in our study. Female gender and being the first child increased the risk of developing congenital hemangioma. As an important information, hyperemesis during pregnancy increased the risk of congenital hemangioma 1.75 times. Postterm birth and birth weight over 4000 gram were protective against congenital hemangioma development. Apart from the known risk factors, drug use in pregnancy could be a risk factor for the development of congenital hemangioma. We recommend that future studies should be conducted in larger patient groups in order to consider different risk factors

Successful Treatment of Macroglossia Due to Lymphatic Malformation With Sirolimus

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of sirolimus therapy in a child with macroglossia due to lymphatic malformation

Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) Polymorphisms in Pediatric Patients Presenting With Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms are found more commonly in some tumor types than in healthy individuals, suggesting that some polymorphisms (Cdx2, Fok1, Bsm1, Apa1, Taq1) contribute to tumor development. There is no previous report on VDR polymorphism in Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) patients. VDR polymorphism patterns in 95 pediatric HL cases with 100 healthy controls were compared. No statistically significant difference was found between the patient group and control group in terms of Cdx2, Fok1, Bsm1, Apa1, and Taq1 polymorphisms (P > 0.5). Our findings suggest that VDR polymorphisms may not play a role in HL development