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Targeted therapy in pediatric and adolescent oncology
Author(s) -
Bernstein Mark L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/cncr.26050
Subject(s) - medicine , histology , oncology , stage (stratigraphy) , targeted therapy , pediatric oncology , cancer , paleontology , biology
Cancers in children and adolescents are fortunately infrequent. Overall, cure rates are good, approximately 80%, although this varies by histology and stage. Targeted therapies aim to improve efficacy and decrease toxicity by more specifically affecting malignant cells or their supporting stroma. Cancers of early life are often of different histology than those seen in adults. Sometimes, the same pathway is affected, even if the histology is different. Toxicities may also be different, particularly in younger children. These factors render drug development in young people challenging. This article reviews some successes and challenges to that development, including brief discussions of imatinib, lestaurtinib, antiangiogenesis, and anti‐GD2 therapies. Cancer 2011;117(10 suppl):2268–74. © 2011 American Cancer Society.