Pediatric Cancers

A novel risk classification scheme based on expression of 36 micro-RNA samples was able to identify pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia at high or low risk of experiencing treatment failure, according to a new analysis.

Children with relapsed or refractory INI1-deficient malignant rhabdoid tumors, epithelioid sarcomas, or poorly differentiated chordomas tolerated treatment with the investigational drug tazemetostat well, including several responses.

Fertility preservation through sperm banking was underutilized among adolescent males newly diagnosed with cancer, according to the results of a recent observational study. Only about one-half of adolescents surveyed in the study attempted sperm banking.

Characteristics of the diabetic intrauterine environment may promote the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in offspring, according to the results of a new study.

A parent’s score on the electronic Psychosocial Assessment Tool following the diagnosis of cancer in a child was predictive of future levels of parental distress, according to the results of a new study.

Children covered by Medicaid when diagnosed with cancer have similar survival rates compared with children with private insurance, according to a new study. Evidence shows a slightly increased risk of cancer death among uninsured children, which may be related to a more advanced stage at diagnosis.

The FDA has approved the first gene therapy available in the United States, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), for the treatment of pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Survivors of childhood cancer are less likely than the general population to receive the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to a study.

Pediatric patients with ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphomas and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors had strong responses to treatment with crizotinib.

The US Senate passed legislation that would support and help accelerate the development of promising drugs for children with cancer.

The FDA has granted accelerated approval to nivolumab for use in adult and adolescent patients with MSI-H or dMMR metastatic colorectal cancer.

Arsenic trioxide consolidation was well tolerated in pediatric patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia and allowed for significant reductions in cumulative anthracycline doses.

A lower dose of rabbit anti–T-lymphocyte globulin was superior to a higher dose in children with hematologic malignancies undergoing transplant from an unrelated donor.

The FDA has expanded the approval of ipilimumab (Yervoy) to include the treatment of pediatric melanoma patients 12 years and older with unresectable or metastatic disease.

The FDA has granted priority review status for two new indications of dasatinib (Sprycel), according to the drug’s developer.

The FDA has expanded the approval of blinatumomab (Blincyto) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults and children.

Researchers have discovered a way to test for multiple neuroblastoma-associated genes simultaneously, which may help to improve definition of disease status in patients with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma.

Dasatinib was safe and effective in pediatric patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, according to a new study, establishing the agent as a new standard of care for this population.

Significant improvements in treatment protocols have reduced the incidence of serious chronic late health effects in survivors of childhood cancer treatment.

There is considerable value in having achieved a minimal residual disease negativity for pediatric and adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Female survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia were at risk for neurocognitive impairment and were more susceptible to the effects of sleep disturbance and fatigue compared with their male counterparts.

Younger cancer survivors experience worse survival outcomes following a second primary cancer diagnosis than their older counterparts, according to a recent study.

During maintenance therapy for childhood ALL, there was a general increase in DNA-incorporated thioguanine nucleotides (DNA-TGN), and this increase was associated with a lower frequency of disease relapse.

Minimizing late treatment toxicities in these patients remains an important priority due to both the young age of the patients and the high cure rate that can be achieved.

In this article we discuss the specifics of refining current strategies for radiation delivery, as well as new and up-and-coming heavy particle techniques and radiotherapeutics.