Bleomycin sclerotherapy may be an effective therapy for lymphangiomas: Study

Written By : Medha Baranwal |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2021-03-19T17:15:00+05:30 | Updated On 19 March 2021 5:15 PM IST

Saudi Arabia: Bleomycin sclerotherapy could be an effective treatment for lymphangiomas, finds a recent study in the journal Dermatologic Surgery. According to the study, the procedure is associated with fewer complications, however, about a quarter of patients experienced recurrence.

Bleomycin sclerotherapy is a popular nonsurgical option for lymphangiomas management. However, the efficacy of the procedure is not thoroughly evaluated. Osama Bawazir, Faculty of Medicine in Umm Al-Qura University at Makkah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and colleagues, therefore, aimed to assess the clinical outcomes and the effectiveness of bleomycin injection for the treatment of lymphangioma.

For the purpose, the researchers conducted a retrospective study across 4 centers. It included 47 infants and children having bleomycin sclerotherapy between November 2005 and September 2020.

Men presented 53.2% of the study sample (n = 25), and the most common site was the head and neck (n = 29, 61.7%).

Key findings of the study include:

Two injections were required in 11 patients (23.4%), and 7 patients (14.9%) required 3 or more injections.
Excellent response was achieved in 63.8% (n = 30), 14 patients (29.8%) had a good response, and 4 had a poor response (8.5%).
There was no difference in the response according to the site of the lesion.
The most frequent complication was recurrence (n = 11, 23.4%), and swelling occurred in 5 patients (10.6%).
No patient had facial or phrenic nerve palsy or hoarseness.
Two patients had persistent pain, and 2 had an infection (4.3%).

"Intralesional bleomycin injection could be an effective therapy for lymphangiomas," wrote the authors. "The procedure has a low complication profile, and long-term study is recommended to evaluate the systemic and late bleomycin injection complications."

Reference:

The study titled, "Efficacy and Clinical Outcomes of Bleomycin in the Treatment of Lymphangiomas: A Multicenter Experience," is published in the journal Dermatologic Surgery.

DOI: https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/Abstract/9000/Efficacy_and_Clinical_Outcomes_of_Bleomycin_in_the.97584.aspx

Dermatologic Surgerybleomycin sclerotherapylymphangiomas

Source : Dermatologic Surgery

Medha Baranwal

MSc. Biotechnology

Medha Baranwal joined Medical Dialogues as an Editor in 2018 for Speciality Medical Dialogues. She covers several medical specialties including Cardiac Sciences, Dentistry, Diabetes and Endo, Diagnostics, ENT, Gastroenterology, Neurosciences, and Radiology. She has completed her Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences from DU and then pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University. She has a working experience of 5 years in the field of medical research writing, scientific writing, content writing, and content management. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751