CAC2 Childhood Cancer Community News Digest (October 16-22)

Trial results confirm effectiveness of Atezolizumab against a rare sarcoma.

By a 14-6 vote, the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) decided that the totality of evidence presented was sufficient to show that DFMO maintenance improved 2-year event-free survival (EFS).

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. reported that it has the ability to conduct preclinical cancer research using ITCC-P4’s well-characterized collection of 400 annotated pediatric cancer models, and is offering clients access to this collection.

The combination of apatinib, irinotecan, and temozolomide has shown activity in a phase 2 trial of pediatric and adult patients with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma.

Entrectinib (Rozlytrek) has been given accelerated approval by the FDA for pediatric patients who are 1 month or older with solid tumors.

Upcoming Webinars, Online Opportunities, and Meetings:

Join leaders and advocates across pediatric cancer as we come together on October 18-19 for CureSearch’s virtual 2023 Pediatric Early Development Symposium.  Learn more and register.

On October 24 at 2:00 ET, Dr. Angela Mariotto, chief of the Data Analytics Branch in NCI’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, will showcase the combined potential of NCCR*Explorer and SEER*Stat, two tools available through the CCDI National Childhood Cancer Registry (NCCR). Through a live demonstration and real-world examples, attendees will learn how to harness these resources for cancer research and surveillance. Attendees will also have the chance to ask questions during the session’s Q&A. Register.

Join top scientific experts, clinicians, researchers, NCI, childhood cancer foundations and advocates, agency officials, and many more for the Inaugural Childhood Cancer Prevention Symposium.  This ground breaking meeting will take place at Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, DC on October 25-26th, 2023.  (Registration and meeting details forthcoming shortly).

Join the Ross K. MacNeill Foundation at their 2023 Orange Tie Gala for pediatric brain cancer research, November 4, 6:30-11:00pm CT.  Learn more and register.

Take Action:

A Draft Scientific Integrity Policy of the National Institutes of Health was released for public comment. The draft policy articulates the procedures and processes in place at NIH that help maintain rigorous scientific integrity practices. Additionally, the draft policy proposes several new functions to further enhance scientific integrity at NIH and throughout the biomedical research enterprise.  Comments will be accepted until November 9, 2023.

Phase 1/2 trial which aims to determine the safety and feasibility of anti-CD33 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) expressing T cells (CD33CART) in children and adolescents/young adults (AYAs) with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The trial will be done in two phases: Phase 1 will determine the maximum tolerated dose of CD33CART cells using a 3+3 trial design. Phase 2 is an expansion phase designed to evaluate the rate of response to CD33CART.

To help spread the word about the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI), the National Cancer Institute has created a communications toolkit with a CCDI overview flyer, a one-pager with frequently asked questions about the CCDI Data Ecosystem, and sample social media posts and graphics.  Access the toolkit, and feel free to reference, copy, and use its content for inspiration.