Challenges and Opportunities for Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Pediatric Oncology

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2024 | Viewed by 479

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Inha University Hospital, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Interests: cancer immunotherapy; translational research; childhood cancer; sarcoma; bispecific antibody; T cell immunotherapy; leukemia; neuroblastoma; osteosarcoma
Pediatric Oncologist, Scientific Director of the Pediatric Cancer Center Barcelona (PCCB), Barcelona, Spain
Interests: developmental tumors: neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, Wilm's tumor, brain stem glioma; translational research
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last decade has seen a revolution in our understanding of the molecular and genetic basis of pediatric cancers. With this advance, molecular and genetic characterization is being integrated into cancer diagnosis, revealing subgroups of pediatric cancers with both prognostic and therapeutic relevance. This enables risk-adoptive therapy, focusing intensive therapy on the most aggressive cancers while refining the treatment for low-risk diseases, resulting in a significant reduction in serious long-term complications.

Cancer immunotherapy changed the prognosis of high-risk malignancies. By targeting cell surface antigens, immunotherapeutic strategies, such as monoclonal antibody, antibody-drug conjugates, T cell engaging bispecific antibody (BsAb), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, shifted the treatment paradigm of high-risk neuroblastoma and relapsed/refractory leukemia and lymphoma in pediatric patients. However, immunotherapy has not lived up to its promise in most pediatric solid tumors. How to define which tumors are more likely to respond to immunotherapy and how to activate the immune system via either cell-based or antibody-based strategies remain major challenges.

This Special Issue will highlight the advances in our understanding of pediatric malignancies and in the development of treatments including small-molecular-targeted therapies, BsAb, CART, transplant, radioisotope or drug conjugates, radiotherapy, and photoimmunotherapy and address current challenges and future prospects for a more personalized therapy for pediatric cancer patients.

Dr. Jeong A Park
Dr. Jaume Mora
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antibody-drug conjugate
  • bispecific antibody
  • cancer predisposition
  • CAR T cell
  • immunotherapy
  • leukemia
  • monoclonal antibody
  • neuroblastoma
  • pediatric cancer
  • photoimmunotherapy
  • precision medicine
  • sarcoma
  • translational research
  • tyrosine kinase inhibitor

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 578 KiB  
Article
Multilevel Social Determinants of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Young Survivors of Childhood Cancer
by Jin-ah Sim, Madeline R. Horan, Jaesung Choi, Deo Kumar Srivastava, Gregory T. Armstrong, Kirsten K. Ness, Melissa M. Hudson and I-Chan Huang
Cancers 2024, 16(9), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16091661 - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 159
Abstract
In this study, the social determinants of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in young survivors of childhood cancer aged <18 years are researched. This cross-sectional study investigated social determinants associated with poor PROs among young childhood cancer survivors. We included 293 dyads of survivors receiving [...] Read more.
In this study, the social determinants of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in young survivors of childhood cancer aged <18 years are researched. This cross-sectional study investigated social determinants associated with poor PROs among young childhood cancer survivors. We included 293 dyads of survivors receiving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who were <18 years of age during follow-up from 2017 to 2018 and their primary caregivers. Social determinants included family factors (caregiver-reported PROs, family dynamics) and county-level deprivation (socioeconomic status, physical environment via the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps). PROMIS measures assessed survivors’ and caregivers’ PROs. General linear regression tested associations of social determinants with survivors’ PROs. We found that caregivers’ higher anxiety was significantly associated with survivors’ poorer depression, stress, fatigue, sleep issues, and reduced positive affect (p < 0.05); caregivers’ sleep disturbances were significantly associated with lower mobility in survivors (p < 0.05). Family conflicts were associated with survivors’ sleep problems (p < 0.05). Residing in socioeconomically deprived areas was significantly associated with survivors’ poorer sleep quality (p < 0.05), while higher physical environment deprivation was associated with survivors’ higher psychological stress and fatigue and lower positive affect and mobility (p < 0.05). Parental, family, and neighborhood factors are critical influences on young survivors’ quality of life and well-being and represent new intervention targets. Full article
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