Background: The initial recommendation propranolol usage in managing infantile hemangioma was in 2008 followed by various researches assessing the dosage, efficacy, and other parameters. Itraconazole is a world-wide tolerated antifungal but only a few studies have focused on its assessment in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas (IH).
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the newly proposed antifungal drug ICZ and characterize different aspects of its usage as an antiangiogenic drug.
Methods: This was an interventional clinical trial to assess the efficacy of ICZ versus propranolol in the treatment of infantile hemangioma with studying the change in serum angiopoietin 2 (Ang2). A total of 36 pediatric patients were divided into two equal groups: firstly treated with oral itraconazole and secondly treated by oral propranolol.
Results: Response to treatment was observed using a modified IH score. In itraconazole-treated infants, good response was observed in 44.4% of the patients. This was slightly higher than the propranolol group which showed 22.2% with good response. We observed a decrease in serum ang2 level after usage of ICZ and propranolol and the change in serum Ang2 level before and after treatment in each group was statistically significant (p < .001).
Conclusion: Oral itraconazole can be an equivalent option for oral propranolol while safer and shorter treatment periods.
Keywords: Angiogenesis; biomarkers; differentiation; human model; proliferation.