Assorted news from the last week: In celebration of International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day on February 15, the World Health Organization released a suite of tools to help countries improve diagnosis and treatment of cancer among children. The package includes a “how-to” guide for policy-makers, cancer control programme managers and hospital managers; an assessment tool to inform implementation; and a multilingual online portal for information-sharing. Currently, categorizing clinical trials as ‘negative’ is based solely on the main outcome of the trial without taking into account whether there are other outcomes that could be positive for patients or other reasons for this […]

Assorted news from the last week: The largest single cell study to date of the childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, has answered important questions about the genesis of the disease. The researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, discovered that all neuroblastomas arise from a single type of embryonic cell called sympathoblasts. Health experts say the fear of COVID-19 in the past year has forced people to delay treatment of children undergoing cancer and anti-cancer therapies.  More here. The landscape for pediatric oncology drugs expanded dramatically last year, with 8 […]

Assorted news from the last week: Jared Isaacman, 37-year-old founder of Shift4 Payments, is chartering a SpaceX trip to orbit and raffling a seat to a random winner to raise money for childhood cancer research. World Health Organization issued new guidelines on the management of chronic pain in children provide recommended physical, psychological and pharmacological interventions for pain relief in children aged 0-19 years. Telling a child they have cancer and explaining what that means is one of the most difficult conversations you can have with your child. Alice Ann Holland, Ph.D., ABPP, a board-certified Clinical Neuropsychologist and the Research […]

Assorted news from the last week: Sadly, as the 2020 Childhood Cancer Prevention Report confirms, childhood cancer incidence rates, the number of new cases per 1,000 children, have steadily increased over the last few decades across all racial/ethnic groups. Cancer is now responsible for more than half of all childhood and teenage deaths, making this study all the more urgent. The Houston Chronicle reports: “Another cancer cluster in Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens has been identified by a state investigation in a newly released report, which found that children contracted leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate of the […]

Assorted news from the last two weeks: FDA approval of Pfizer’s XALKORI® (crizotinib) is a major milestone in the treatment of children and young adults with ALK-positive Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. Researchers at Uppsala University have investigated the socioeconomic impact on parents of having a child diagnosed with cancer:  mothers’ incomes fall in the short term and then rise, the adverse financial repercussions on fathers occur later. As the FDA and others take stock of the lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic, we should consider elevating the needs of children and embracing approaches that are faster, more innovative, and more […]

Assorted news from the last two weeks: NCI unveiled two new resources for young people with cancer: tips to help young people facing end-of-life decisions talk with their doctors and make choices about palliative care, advance directives, living wills, and how they want to be remembered. resource to help young people find support after a cancer diagnosis and during cancer treatment. It includes advice on talking with mental health experts, spotting signs of depression, and finding support groups. Study suggests “that children in the U.S. may be treated more intensely compared to children in the U.K., which led to a decreased […]

Assorted news from the last week: Give Kids the World is reopening on Jan 17, 2021.  Here’s a video they’ve prepared as part of their announcement. COVID19 disrupting pediatric cancer treatments all over, but especially in places like Uganda, where disruption in treatment can be deadly. End-of Year Advocacy Update:  Creating Hope Act has passed in the Senate within the Stimulus Package. It will be reauthorized for 4 more years. In addition the end-of-year omnibus spending bill also included $80 million new childhood cancer research initiatives. This funding agreement included $30 million to fully fund the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, the […]

Assorted news from the last week: Nature reports that children with cancer with SARS-CoV-2 infection do not appear at increased risk of severe infection compared to the general paediatric population. This is reassuring and supports the continued delivery of standard treatment. Covid-19 surge could lead to another drop in patient visits, doctors fear — and more missed pediatric cancers. Kazia Therapeutics Limited , an Australian oncology-focused biotechnology company, is pleased to announce that it has executed a Letter of Intent with the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) to launch a clinical trial of multiple therapies, including Kazia’s investigational new drug, […]