Assorted News from the Last Week: Navigating gatekeeping challenges in pediatric and young adult palliative oncology and end-of-life research. Active participation by patients and families in studies helps identify more effective therapies that improve quality of life and survival. My daughter's diagnosis of a rare and aggressive brain tumor at 3 years old made me strongly consider whether or not to have her treated with radiation. Genetic and epigenetic bases of long-term adverse effects of childhood cancer therapy. Korean patients still waiting for access and insurance approval for Qarziba (dinutuximab beta), which was approved as therapy for treating high-risk and [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The NCI Fiscal Year 2026 Professional Judgment Budget Proposal highlights promising research areas and the optimal funding needed to achieve the most rapid progress against cancer, based on the professional judgment of NCI’s leadership. NCI’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics has created inventories of the research conducted by its investigators on pediatric malignancies and its childhood leukemia research studies. FDA expands approval of methotrexate to include pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Rapamycin and dasatinib combined with IT (RIST) is a novel metronomic combination that can be administered in the outpatient setting and shows promise for [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Today, the Biden Cancer Moonshot announced a new private sector pilot program to maintain uninterrupted access to seven pre-selected critical pediatric cancer medications. Year-end Advocacy readout: Three legislative initiatives for kids with cancer that have a strong possibility for passage in this Congress. Alarmingly few childhood cancer survivors undergo recommended surveillance for late effects. A Chineses randomized trial showed the a shorter regimen of three cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy was noninferior to a standard six-cycle regimen among patients with pathologically high-risk retinoblastoma. The needs of families of pediatric cancer survivors: challenges and developments in [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Pediatric cancer medications are 90 percent more likely to go into shortage than other medications, reports say, and stay in shortage 30 percent longer on average. The FDA has granted rare pediatric disease designation to galinpepimut-S (GPS) for the treatment of pediatric patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Survivors of childhood brain cancer are more likely to be held back in school. A new cell therapy, targeting CD7 on leukaemia cells, gives a potentially effective treatment for patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) who have exhausted all standard treatment options. Published in the [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: In a clinical practice guideline issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics and published online Sept. 30 in Pediatrics, recommendations are presented for opioid prescribing for acute pain management in children and adolescents in outpatient settings. Fear of cancer recurrence common decades after surviving childhood cancer. Bereaved parents’ perceptions of their cancer-ill child's last month with or without palliative care. Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who are measurable residual disease (MRD) negative at the end of first consolidation do not require further MRD assessments. Curbing blood cancers by teaching immune cells to kill [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The rare pediatric disease PRV program to incentivize drug development for rare pediatric diseases (originally the Creating Hope Act) was extended past its sunset date (September 30) to December 20, 2024.  While the US House has reauthorized it through 2029, the Senate must do so before the end of the Congress for it to remain in effect after Decembermber. In a bold step toward addressing the stark disparities in pediatric cancer care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is taking the lead in launching IGNITE—the first national, pediatric hematology-oncology health equity research consortium. Experts have developed a breakthrough [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Implementation of the RACE for Children Act has substantially lowered the number of adult cancer drugs exempted from pediatric testing. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized clinical trials showed a cannabinoids used for medical purposes in children and adolescents come with a risk of adverse events. Novel treatment regimen yields promising response in advanced-phase chronic myeloid leukemia. Vaccine experts report positive results on Phase 1 trial of personalized vaccine for lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Non-Hispanic black children experience poorer post-relapse survival outcomes than white children with nonmetastatic osteosarcoma. AACR report highlights improvements in outcomes [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: Bullying significant issue for young people in aftermath of eye cancer. Personalized vaccine trial for diffuse hemispheric glioma will expand to include children as young as five. Effectiveness of structured, multidisciplinary long-term care for pediatric cancer survivors. Live birth and maternity outcome in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors under 18 years at diagnosis: a 40-year population-based cohort study RNA-sequencing study provides novel insights into chronic lymphocytic leukemia. How technology is changing pediatric cancer treatment in India. Proteomic profiling of cerebrospinal fluid reveals TKT as a potential biomarker for medulloblastoma. Upcoming Webinars, Online Opportunities, and [...] Read more

Assorted News from the Last Week: The emotional toll of chronic illness in childhood: Doing more to promote mental well-being in pediatric patients. Young children treated for brain tumors are less ready for school than their peers. The FDA has awarded rare pediatric disease designation and orphan drug designation to INV724 for the treatment of patients with neuroblastoma. U.K. charities give $36 million to start new drugs for childhood tumors: New consortium hopes to advance drug candidates in long-neglected area of cancer treatment. (gated) Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is in full swing.  National Cancer Institute highlighter several important streams of [...] Read more