Comparison of Corticosteroid and Vincristine in Treating Kaposiform Hemangioendothelioma and Tufted Angioma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

To evaluate the outcome and safety of corticosteroids and vincristine (VCR) in the treatment of kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) and tufted angioma (TA). Clinical studies involving corticosteroids and VCR therapies in treating KHE/TA were identified by using PubMed, Cochrane Library, OVID, EBSCO, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases from their establishment date to December 2017. Randomized controlled trials, case-control, or case series with more than five cases were included. The following data were extracted: study sample, demographics, responses rate, recurrence rate, and adverse reactions. Two reviewers completed screening and extraction. Methodological quality was evaluated with quality appraisal tool. A total of 266 studies were found, and 27 studies were finally included in this research; quality of all studies was low. Seven studies with a total of 123 participants, which compared the effect of systemic corticosteroids with that of VCR, were performed for the meta-analysis. The results indicated that the effect of VCR was significantly higher than that of corticosteroids (relative risk [RR] = 2.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38-3.16). The recurrence rate of VCR (11.1%) was lower than that of corticosteroids (50%), but there was no statistical difference between the two therapies (p = 0.1312). The result of pooled adverse reactions response rate for VCR was 18.2%, significantly lower than that for corticosteroids, which was 52.0%. The present profile shows that VCR is relatively more effective and safer in treating KHE/TA than corticosteroids are. So, we believe VCR could be used as a first-line medication agent in the treatment of KHE/TA.