Assorted News from the Last Week: Research from the University of Birmingham could pave the way for using MRI scanning combined with machine learning to assess medulloblastomas for their 'signature' metabolic profiles without the need for invasive biopsy and could rapidly reduce the current 3-4 week wait from presentation to full diagnosis. CAC2 Student Member Joshua Omale blog post: Empowering Communities: Driving Childhood Cancer Awareness from the Grassroots Update on Cancer Predisposition Syndromes and surveillance guidelines for childhood brain tumors Results from the first 384 participants of the Australian Zero Childhood Cancer national precision medicine program (ZERO) show a precision [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The FDA granted accelerated approval to Eli Lilly And Co’s selpercatinib (Retevmo) for pediatric patients two years of age and older with the following: Advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) with a RETmutation, who require systemic therapy. Advanced or metastatic thyroid cancer with a RET gene fusion, who require systemic therapy and who are radioactive iodine-refractory (if radioactive iodine is appropriate). Locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with a RET gene fusion that have progressed on or following prior systemic treatment or who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options. Three blog posts by CAC2 Members: Perhaps one [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The FDA Pediatric ODAC met to "discuss perspectives on the impact of FDARA on the field of pediatric oncology, considerations related to implementation of FDARA for new molecularly targeted drugs and biological products, and the role of proof-of-concept studies using relevant pediatric preclinical models." There was also a discussion of the role of international collaboration and how coordinated approaches to the design and conduct of molecularly targeted pediatric cancer investigations can be best achieved in light of RACE Act regulations. Click here to view all the meeting information and links to key documents and [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: St. Jude survivorship portal and its ability to facilitate breakthroughs in pediatric cancer survivorship research were published recently in Cancer Discovery. The portal integrates data involving whole genomic sequencing, treatment exposure and outcomes — creating an unprecedented research system that houses 400 million genetic variants from over 7,700 childhood cancer survivors. In an effort to raise awareness about pediatric brain cancer, encourage research on diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) tumors and other pediatric cancers, and honor patients and families who have faced this disease, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan resolution (S.Res. 691) designating May [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: To understand how CNS tumors impact the AYA population, NCI-CONNECT (Comprehensive Oncology Network Evaluating Rare CNS Tumors), the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS), and the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) have partnered on a new statistical report that explores statistical trends in AYAs with primary CNS tumors in the United States between 2016 and 2020. (NCI) Among adults previously treated for a childhood cancer who attained full-time employment 25 years following successful treatment, nearly 30% to 40% either died, became unemployed, or moved to part-time employment or left the labor force [...] Read more