Most children with cancer need a central venous catheter. These catheters are typically
placed on the anterior thorax, where the risk of hypertrophic scarring and keloid development
is greatly enhanced. A significant part of the children who have survived childhood cancer
are troubled by their scars.
Topical glucocorticoid treatment is known to induce a reduction of the collagen in the
connective tissue.
The investigators hypothesize that treatment with topical glucocorticoids for one week before
and three weeks after removal of a central venous catheter, will reduce the formation of
hypertrophic scarring and keloid development in children.