Pediatric Oncology | Specialty

The OncLive Pediatric Oncology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and expert insights on various types of cancers in pediatric patients, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, brain cancers, sarcomas, and more. This page features news articles, interviews in written and video format, and podcasts that focus on unmet needs, treatment advances, and ongoing research in childhood and adolescent and young adult cancers.

Dr. Ladra on the Treatment of Pediatric Esthesioneuroblastoma

July 12th 2018

Matthew Ladra, MD, director, Pediatric Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital, discusses the treatment of esthesioneuroblastoma in children.

FDA Approves Nivolumab/Ipilimumab for MSI-H/dMMR Colorectal Cancer

July 11th 2018

The FDA has approved the combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient metastatic colorectal cancer following progression on a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan.

Dr. Link on Nelarabine in Newly Diagnosed T-Cell Malignancies

July 10th 2018

Michael Link, MD, Lydia J. Lee Professor in Pediatric Cancer, professor, Pediatrics, Stanford Cancer Institute, and a 2018 Giant of Cancer Care in Pediatric Oncology, discusses the randomized trial testing nelarabine in patients with T-cell malignancies.

Dasatinib Approved in Europe for Pediatric Ph+ Chronic Phase CML

July 5th 2018

The European Commission has approved dasatinib for the treatment of children and adolescent patients aged 1 to 18 years with Philadelphia chromosome–positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.

Tisagenlecleucel Nears European Approval for DLBCL, ALL

June 29th 2018

The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended approval of tisagenlecleucel for the treatment of either adult patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is relapsed or refractory after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy, or patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is refractory, in relapse posttransplant, or in second or later relapse.

Expert Stresses Importance of End-of-Life Care in Pediatric Oncology

June 14th 2018

Justin N. Baker, MD, discusses the benefits of a holistic approach to end-of-life care in pediatric oncology, as well as the importance of teaching palliative care to the next generation of oncologists and hematologists.

FDA Approves Pembrolizumab for Relapsed/Refractory PMBCL

June 13th 2018

The FDA has granted an accelerated approval to pembrolizumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, or those who have relapsed after 2 or more prior lines of therapy.

Dr. Patterson Discusses the Use of TKIs in Pediatric CML

June 7th 2018

Briana Patterson, MD, assistant professor, Division of Endocrinology, Aflac Cancer Center, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, discusses the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia.

Entrectinib Demonstrates Early Activity in Pediatric Tumors

June 5th 2018

All 3 patients with targeted gene fusions responded to the multikinase inhibitor entrectinib, according to a phase I study in children and young adults with advanced, previously treated central nervous system tumors.

Maintenance Therapy Changes Paradigm in Rare Childhood Sarcoma

June 3rd 2018

A course of low-dose maintenance chemotherapy administered after standard-of-care intensive chemotherapy led to significant improvements in disease-free and overall survival in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma.

Dr. Wistinghausen Discusses Targeted Therapies for Pediatric NHL

May 31st 2018

Birte Wistinghausen, MD, associate professor, Pediatrics, medical director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, the Kravis Children's Hospital and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses targeted therapies for the treatment of pediatric patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

FDA Grants Frontline Eltrombopag Priority Review for Severe Aplastic Anemia

May 31st 2018

The FDA has granted a priority review to a supplemental new drug application for eltrombopag (Promacta) for use in combination with standard immunosuppressive therapy as a frontline treatment for patients with severe aplastic anemia.

Lead Investigator Discusses Tazemetostat Data in INI1-Negative Pediatric Tumors

May 30th 2018

Susan N. Chi, MD, discusses the rationale for using tazemetostat in pediatric patients with INI1-negative rhabdoid tumors, as well as the future steps being taken with this treatment.

FDA Grants Crizotinib Breakthrough Designation for MET+ NSCLC and ALK+ ALCL

May 30th 2018

The FDA has granted crizotinib a breakthrough therapy designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer with MET exon 14 alterations, and for use in patients with relapsed/refractory ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Dr. Fraizer Discusses the MaGIC Consortium

May 29th 2018

Lindsay Frazier, MD, institute physician, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, associate professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, discusses the Malignant Germ Cell International Consortium (MaGIC) in pediatric and rare tumors.

FDA Grants Larotrectinib Priority Review for NTRK+ Cancers

May 29th 2018

The FDA has granted a priority review to a new drug application for larotrectinib for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with an NTRK gene fusion.

COG Addresses Unmet Needs in Pediatric NHL

May 25th 2018

Birte Wistinghausen, MD, shares her insight on the potential for targeted therapies in the treatment of pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and the steps that the Children’s Oncology Group is taking to cure all patients with this disease.

Study Identifies Factors Linked to Long-Term Survival in Pediatric/Adolescent DIPG

May 24th 2018

A number of biological factors, including age at diagnosis, symptom duration at diagnosis, and HIST1H3B mutation status, are associated with survival ≥2 years in children and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a brainstem malignancy with a median survival

Autoimmune Disease May Have Complicated Treatment for Pediatric ITP

May 23rd 2018

An underlying autoimmune condition may have played a role in making a 13-year-old patient refractory to treatment for immune thrombocytopenia.

Ponatinib Shows Promise in Pediatric/Adolescent ALL Patients

May 23rd 2018

Ponatinib (Iclusig) induced a complete remission in one pediatric/adolescent patient with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and demonstrated promising clinical activity in another.