| Know the facts and help children win the fight against neuroblastoma |
- One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.
- Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.
- Each child in the U.S. diagnosed with cancer receives approximately one sixth of the federal research support allocated to each patient afflicted with AIDS. Yet in 2004, 48 new cases of pediatric AIDS were diagnosed versus more than 12,000 pediatric cancer cases. |
- The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) funded research portfolio on 2009 was $3.1 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 22%, prostate cancer received 11%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers, combined received less than 3%. (more)
- Cancer accounts for the greatest number of disease deaths of children in the United States and kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined. |
- Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.
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What is Neuroblastoma?Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer of the sympathetic nervous system, affecting approximately 650 children in the U.S. every year. It is the second most common solid tumor in infants. Most children are diagnosed by 2.5 years of age. Up to sixty percent of them have high risk disease that has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body) by the time they are diagnosed. Survival is dependent on age and disease stage: children diagnosed before the age of 18 months have a high survival rate, but high risk children diagnosed before age 5 have about 30 percent chance of growing up. For children over age 5, teens, and adults, the prognosis is very poor.
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What is the treatment for neuroblastoma? For children with lower stages of disease and favorable risk factors, surgery and/or some chemotherapy may be sufficient treatment. Children with high risk disease typically receive multiple rounds of harsh high-dose chemotherapies, radiation, surgeries, and retinoid therapy. In addition, many undergo stem cell transplantation, Immunotherapy and other painful treatments. Life is disrupted for the entire family—constant visits to the cancer clinic are required and weeks are spent in the hospital. It is common for families to travel to different parts of the country and even the world seeking treatment options for their children. (more)
What innovative projects are on the horizon? The 3F8 antibody has shown amazing success in eradicating high-risk chemo-resistant neuroblastoma infiltrating the bone marrow. Still, about 20 percent of those diagnosed with this deadly cancer never reach remission, and many of those in remission see their cancer return.
Because 3F8 is made from mouse antibodies, many children develop immunity to it, making further 3F8 treatment ineffective. For those who form immunity too soon, the problem is huge—their disease is likely to return or progress. Thus, one of the most exciting projects is the development of a “humanized” 3F8 antibody (HU3F8) that would avoid this problem.
Another problem doctors have recognized is that the white blood cells of some children have a low “affinity” for 3F8, so their immune system does not learn to attack the cancer on its own. In humanizing 3F8, scientists hope to genetically engineer the antibody to correct this problem.
The specialists in neuroblastoma at MSKCC believe developing HU3F8 is a priority because it could save even more children. In addition, HU3F8 could potentially be used long-term to prevent neuroblastoma relapse.
The MSKCC team also is developing other innovative treatments, such as vaccines intended to strengthen a child’s immune system against neuroblastoma, ways to improve the tumor-killing activity of 3F8, and antibodies that bring liquid radiation directly to tumor cells. In recent years a new antibody, 8H9, has been successful in killing neuroblastoma that has recurred in the central nervous system – a type of relapse that was 100 percent fatal just 5 years ago. The 8H9 antibody may have great promise as a systemic treatment, but more research is needed to understand its workings. | |
