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Assorted News from the Last Week: Despite major advances in cancer research, we collectively fall short in bringing innovative medicines to children with cancer.  A new proposal defines a business model to incentivize investors, private companies and public organizations to invest in drug development for paediatric cancers.   Use of homoharringtonine (HHT) may result in improved responses among patients with pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared with etoposide-based induction therapy, according to findings from a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Researchers at Texas A&M University announced a project to explore the use of 3D printing technology to [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Two Weeks: Latino children are at greater risk of developing certain cancers, and their short and long-term outcomes are often worse than other children with cancer. Approximately 1 in 15 children receiving cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries die from treatment-related complications. Although treatment-related mortality has decreased in upper–middle-income countries over time, it remains unchanged in low- and middle-income countries. There is an urgent need for targeted supportive care interventions to reduce global disparities in childhood cancer survival. The FDA has issued a complete response letter to a resubmitted biologics license application (BLA) for remestemcel-L [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: High-Throughput drug screening of primary tumor cells identifies therapeutic strategies for treating children with high-risk cancer. Tribute to CAC2 Member Donna “Nana” Marie Carmical’s (Journey4ACure) life was a testament to the power of love, determination, and selflessness. Her journey from a grieving grandmother to a fierce advocate for childhood cancer showcased her unyielding commitment to making the world a better place for young patients. Epigenetically guided cancer therapy: Targeting H3K27me3 loss in pediatric brain tumors The addition of blinatumomab (Blincyto) to chemotherapy did not improve overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) over chemotherapy [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The Senate Appropriations Committee has released its Fiscal Year 2024 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill, and we are excited to report that it included language to fully fund the Childhood Cancer STAR Act and the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative again this year.   Over 350,000 children in developing world missing out on cancer treatment. Approximately one in 15 children receiving cancer treatment in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) die from treatment-related complications. Although treatment-related mortality has decreased in upper-middle-income countries over time, it remains unchanged in LMICs. Boston Children's Hospital has 10 dedicated garden spaces on [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: A Danish study shows that five-year survival of all children with acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) has continued to increase to 94%. Nivolumab-AVD is poised to be the new standard of care for Hodgkin Lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients. The FDA has granted an orphan drug designation to gallium maltolate for use as a potential therapeutic option in pediatric patients with glioblastoma multiforme. The war with Russia compounds the struggles of pediatric cancer patients and their families, but it has also prompted positive changes in treatment in Ukraine. (NYTimes, gated) In a study reported [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: From the Journal of the National Cancer Institute: "the annual rate of pediatric cancer has declined from a peak in 2016 but remains higher than 20 years ago."   Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are overweight or obese and are treated with asparaginase-containing pediatric regimens, are likelier to have poorer outcomes than those with normal body mass index. In Gabrielle Zevin's novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, video games are channels of healing, imagination and love. The book spans more than 30 years — from the 1980s to [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a childhood cancer crisis. Annually, nearly 90% of the more than 100 000 children who develop cancer in sub-Saharan Africa die. The immunomodulatory agent lenalidomide (Revlimid) appeared clinically active and tolerable in pilocytic astrocytomas and optic pathway gliomas in a cohort of pediatric patients who progressed following initial therapy, according to findings from a phase 2 trial (NCT01553149) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The NCI MyPART team and their collaborators have published two papers in the journal, Pediatric Blood and Cancer. One paper, entitled “NCI intramural program approach to [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Yoram Unguru (past CAC2 Summit speaker, bioethicist, and uncle of a pediatric cancer survivor) on the cancer drug shortage. (gated, but excellent) Children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer (CAYAs) remained at increased risk for mental health disorders after the remission of their cancer. Summary of the ACCELERATE Paediatric Strategy Forum on PI3K, mTOR, AKT and GSK3β Inhibitors in children and adolescents The Comprehensive Cancer Survivorship Act (CCSA) was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate.  This is a critical piece of comprehensive legislation that will address gaps in survivorship care and develop [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: NCI’s Childhood Cancer Data Initiative has grown since its launch in 2019. Read about the initiative’s activities, successes, and priorities for the future in the most recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.  Just-released Voice of the Patient report "A Ticking Time Bomb" stems from an Externally-led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) meeting on reducing cardiac late effects in pediatric cancer survivors, held in September 2022. U.S. News and World Report on best children's cancer hospitals released. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has launched the modernized ClinicalTrials.gov website, which is the result of a [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) met on June 16, 2023, to discuss considerations for dose optimization of new drug and biological products for pediatric patients with cancer. Recent improvements to the CCDI Molecular Targets Platform (MTP) include new and updated sequencing data and upgraded features, such as enhanced gene expression graphs for childhood cancer data. Find the MTP and other CCDI applications in the CCDI Hub. Base-edited CAR-T product 'potent' in relapsed childhood T-Cell ALL. Ahead of his discharge, Pope Francis made a surprise return visit to Gemelli Hospital's Paediatric Oncology and [...] Read more