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Surgery
Source: Childhood Vascular Tumors (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: March 6, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
Context: Types of treatment for childhood vascular tumors / Treatment options
The following types of surgery may be used to remove many types of vascular tumors:
Excision is surgery to remove the entire tumor and some of the healthy tissue around it.
Laser surgery uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or remove a skin lesion such as a tumor. Surgery with a pulsed dye laser may be used for some hemangiomas. This type of laser uses a beam of light that targets blood vessels in the skin. The light is changed into heat and the blood vessels are destroyed without damaging nearby skin.
Curettage uses a small, spoon-shaped instrument with a sharp edge called a curette to remove abnormal tissue.
Total hepatectomy and liver transplant removes the entire liver followed by a transplant of a healthy liver from a donor.
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Amputation removes an arm or leg when there are multiple tumors in the bone.
The type of surgery used depends on the type of vascular tumor and where it formed in the body.
After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some people may be given chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery to lower the risk that the cancer will come back is called adjuvant therapy.
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Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice