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Pediatric Cancers

Cancer researchers continue to make progress in developing tests using liquid biopsies that could complement and even serve as an alternative to traditional tissue biopsies. These tests, which analyze bits of free-floating genetic and other material shed by tumors into the blood and other body fluids, are already being used to detect cancer-related genetic changes and guide treatment decisions. Read More ›

On March 16, 2023, the FDA approved dabrafenib (Tafinlar; Novartis) in combination with trametinib (Mekinist; Novartis) for the treatment of pediatric patients aged ≥1 year with low-grade glioma that harbors a BRAFV600E mutation and who require systemic therapy. Read More ›

The immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) appears to be effective in pediatric patients with hypermutant or ultra-hypermutant cancers, according to results from a pilot study presented during the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2021 annual meeting. Read More ›

On December 12, 2019, the FDA issued draft guidance to implement amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act that will facilitate early assessment of studies of molecularly targeted oncology drugs that may be effective in the treatment of pediatric cancers. Read More ›

The past week in oncology-related news includes shortages of crucial pediatric cancer drug, results of a study of racial disparities in multiple myeloma, and new drug on the horizon for HER2 metastatic breast cancer. Read More ›

Approximately 25% of children, adolescents, and young adults with advanced cancer were eligible for a targeted therapy after genotyping of their tumors in the Pediatric Molecular Analysis for Therapy Choice (MATCH) clinical trial. That rate is more than double the 10% that researchers had projected. Read More ›