Hemangioma and other angiomatous diseases of childhood are common. Although most lesions are harmless and self-limiting, some are associated with significant morbidity and may be life-threatening.
Interferon-alpha, a weak
angiogenesis inhibitor, recently has been found to significantly reduce the mortality rate associated with life-threatening
hemangiomas. The effectiveness of
AGM-1470, a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis derived from the fungal product
fumagillin, was tested in a mouse model of
hemangioendothelioma. Thirty syngeneic mice were implanted with cells derived from a spontaneous mouse
hemangioendothelioma.
Tumors formed within 2 to 3 days, and the animals were then treated systemically with
AGM-1470 or with saline and vehicle alone. After 22 days, the
tumor volume in the saline-treated mice was 7368 +/- 2723 mm3, versus 709 +/- 73 mm3 in the mice that received
AGM-1470 (P < .001). Survival was prolonged for the AGM-1470-treated mice, and there was no evidence of
drug-related toxicity. All experiments were repeated. In this study,
AGM-1470 was safe and highly effective in the treatment of
hemangioendothelioma.
AGM-1470, and other
antiangiogenic agents, may provide safe and effective treatment for
hemangioma and other angiomatous diseases.