Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma

Children’s Hospital Boston is home to the world’s largest vascular anomalies center. When doctors in other states or other countries need help diagnosing or treating vascular anomalies like KHE, they come to us. We have more experience evaluating children with KHE than any other hospital in the world. And we’re constantly increasing our base of knowledge.

KHE database

Physicians and researchers at Children’s Vascular Anomalies Center are now reviewing our extensive database with more than 160 cases of KHE. We are actively evaluating the best therapies for KHE and studying long-term outcomes after KHE. As our database grows, it will help shine more light on this rare and often misunderstood condition. More importantly, consolidating knowledge about treatment, side effects and outcomes in this database will help us treat your child more effectively.

Interferon therapy

Interferon therapy is an angiogenesis inhibitor to slow the growth of new blood vessels and cut off blood supply to your child’s tumor.

The whole idea that tumors are unable to grow beyond a certain size without a dedicated supply of blood was conceived by Judah Folkman, MD, former director of the Vascular Biology Program at Children’s.

These days, angiogenesis inhibitors and stimulators are powerful new weapons in the battle against tumors like KHE as well as a host of other illnesses, including cancer in children and adults.

Angiogenesis inhibitor therapy works on Folkman's principle that, rather than waging a toxic chemical and radiation battle with a tumor, doctors could starve it into submission by shutting down its blood supply.

Today, at least 50 angiogenesis inhibitors are in clinical trials around the world, and more than 1,000 laboratories in universities and industry are conducting angiogenesis research.

Read more about Folkman's pioneering research here.

The VAC conducts research that may lead to the development of new, more effective therapies and perhaps ultimately result in ways to prevent these anomalies. Read more about our research.