Treatment depends on a number of factors such as the location of the tumour, the speed at which the tumour is growing and its appearance under a microscope (grade) and whether it has spread to other parts of the body (stage). A person’s general health and symptoms are also taken into account.
Treatment may follow one of two paths:
- Treatment is required, be it medication, surgery, radiation therapy or something else. This could all be very new to you, and very scary.
OR
- Treatment is not required, but the tumors will be monitored and checked again regularly. To a newly diagnosed patient, this advice can be even scarier, thinking that you have cancer and the doctor doesn’t think it warrants any treatment!
Many cases of hemangioendothelioma are asymptomatic and are treated with a wait and see approach. It is sometimes considered prudent to wait until the hemangioendothelioma declares its intentions, before starting to fight back. If hemangioendothelioma is active and causing problems, treatment options have to be considered.
First, a change in lifestyle might be required for some people who are over-stressed, inactive, and don't eat a sensible diet. These changes, as well as a healthy dose of optimism are all a step in the right direction towards beating, or coping with this cancer.
It must be noted that almost ALL treatments for hemangioendothelioma are relatively experimental. None of these treatments have been tried on a large number of patients, as the numbers are just not there.
There has been a degree of success with some treatments, but it is inconsistent – what works for one patient, does not necessarily work for the next.
There are more treatment options available now than just a few years ago. Hopefully, the list of choices will grow. As the list of options is changing, readers are urged to contact us. We have a brochure with more up-to-date information, and also there is our Registry, which lists the treatment regime of over 170 people, so far.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
