Heckl et al evaluated patients who developed cavernous hemangiomas of the brain following cranial radiation therapy. They identified risk factors which may help to identify a patient at risk. The authors are from the German Cancer Research Center and University of Heidelberg in Germany.
Patient selection: cavernous hemangioma of the brain with history of cranial radiation therapy
Risk factors for the cavernous hemangioma:
(1) radiation therapy when < 10 years of age
(2) total radiation dose >= 3,000 cGy
If the child was < 10 years of age at the time of radiation therapy then the latency interval was shorter if the radiation dose was >= 3,000 cGy (both risk factors).
The diagnosis of radiation-induced cavernous hemangioma requires exclusion of a pre-existing hemangioma. This may require going back to brain images taken prior to radiation treatment if they are available.
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