Childhood Cancer - Cancer Currents Blog
News about childhood cancer research, with context from leading experts. Topics include new treatments, issues facing childhood cancer survivors, and findings on the biology of cancer in children.
-
Blinatumomab Improves Survival in Children with Relapsed LeukemiaThe results of two trials establish blinatumomab (Blincyto) as a new standard treatment for children and young adults with high-risk relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia after remission has been achieved and before a stem cell transplant.
-
For Childhood Eye Cancer, Researchers Investigating “Packaged” CAR T CellsFor children with the eye cancer retinoblastoma, researchers are studying a CAR T-cell therapy in which the engineered immune cells are packaged in a biodegradable material called a hydrogel and then injected directly into tumors.
-
Pazopanib Shows Promise for Children, Adults with Soft Tissue SarcomasFor children and adults with advanced soft tissue sarcoma, adding pazopanib (Votrient) to chemotherapy and radiation before surgery may be a promising treatment option, early results from a clinical trial suggest.
-
Scientists Focus on Fusion Proteins in Childhood CancersFusion proteins drive the development of many cancers in children, yet little is known about their biology. NCI’s Fusion Oncoproteins in Childhood Cancers Consortium brings together experts from varied disciplines to investigate these cancers.
-
CCDI Activities Enhance NCI’s Childhood and AYA Cancer ResearchSince launching the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, NCI has undertaken a range of research activities to support this important effort. In this Cancer Currents post, NCI Director Dr. Norman Sharpless provides an update on these efforts.
-
New Drug Regimen Cures More Children with Aggressive B-Cell LymphomaFor children with aggressive Burkitt lymphoma and other B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, adding rituximab (Rituxan, Truxima) to chemotherapy substantially increases the likelihood of the child being cured, results from a large clinical trial show.
-
Selumetinib Approved by FDA to Treat Children with NF1The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved selumetinib (Koselugo) to treat children with neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that causes tumors, called plexiform neurofibromas, to form throughout the nervous system.
-
For Children with Retinoblastoma, Disparities Seen across the GlobeChildren with retinoblastoma in low- and middle-income countries were, on average, diagnosed at an older age and with more advanced disease than those in high-income countries, an analysis shows. The data provide clues about global disparities in outcomes.
-
Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Can Skip Radiation to the BrainOnly 1.5% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who skipped radiation had a recurrence in the central nervous system, according to a recent trial. The therapy, which is intended to prevent such a recurrence, can have devastating side effects.
-
Epigenetic Changes Pinpointed as the Cause of Some GISTsScientists may have pinpointed the cause of some gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), a rare cancer, according to a new NCI-funded study. However, the culprit isn’t a harmful genetic mutation, but another type of genetic change, what are called epigenetic alterations.
-
For Children with Neuroblastoma, Trial Results Highlight Continued Evolution of TreatmentFor many children with high-risk neuroblastoma, receiving two separate stem cell transplants is more beneficial than receiving one, according to the results of an NCI-supported clinical trial conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group.
-
The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative: Transforming the Pediatric Cancer Landscape through Sharing DataTo prepare for the proposed Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, NCI sponsored a 3-day symposium that brought together pediatric cancer researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders.
-
The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative: Why Data Sharing Is Essential to ProgressNCI is laying the groundwork to develop the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). NCI Acting Director Douglas Lowy, M.D., explains why an initiative with a focus on data sharing is essential to accelerating progress against childhood cancer.
-
Pediatric MATCH Study Finds More Targetable Genetic Changes than ExpectedAn early report from the NCI–COG Pediatric MATCH trial shows that 24% of young patients with advanced cancer who had their tumors tested for genetic changes were eligible to receive one of the targeted therapies being tested.
-
Some Children with Liver Cancer May Need Less Chemotherapy, Study SuggestsSome children with liver cancer may need less chemotherapy than is typically used, new research suggests. The study included children and infants with hepatoblastoma whose tumors had been surgically removed when the disease was diagnosed.
-
NCI’s Rare Cancer Clinics: Engaging Patients and Fostering CollaborationNCI has created special clinics that bring together clinicians, patients, and advocates to promote more rapid progress against rare cancers. The effort includes both rare pediatric cancers and central nervous system tumors in adults.
-
A CAR T-Cell Therapy for Multiple Childhood Cancers?An experimental CAR T-cell therapy may have potential as a treatment for several types of childhood cancer, results from a new study in mice suggest. The CAR T cells eradicated tumors in mouse models of several different childhood cancers, including two forms of sarcoma and medulloblastoma.
-
Blood Test Shows Promise for Detecting Genetic Changes in Brain TumorsA liquid biopsy blood test can detect DNA from brain tumors called diffuse midline gliomas, researchers have found. This minimally invasive test could be used to identify and follow molecular changes in children with these highly lethal brain tumors.
-
Sodium Thiosulfate Prevents Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss in Some ChildrenThe drug sodium thiosulfate can protect the hearing of children with cancer undergoing treatment with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, results from a new clinical trial show. The trial involved children with a form of liver cancer called hepatoblastoma.
-
Trial Produces Practice-Changing Findings for Some Children, Young Adults with LeukemiaThis NCI-funded Children’s Oncology Group trial tested the addition of nelarabine (Arranon) to standard treatment for children and young adults with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).