This Week in Pediatric Oncology
Solving Kids' Cancer explores new advances in childhood cancer with host Dr. Timothy Cripe from Nationwide Children's Hospital
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
December
05, 2011
Join Dr. Tim Cripe and his co-host Dr. Lionel
Chow for a fast-paced, in-depth, and comprehensive survey of 15 important
recent papers on pediatric brain tumor research, addressing medulloblastoma,
ependymomas, and gliomas. Dr. Cripe and Dr. Chow explore and discuss the
compelling evidence reported on a variety of topics, including viral causes and
therapeutic implications, biomarkers, genomics, proteomics, targets, classification,
risk stratification, treatment side-effects, proton-beam radiation therapy, and
results of recent clinical trials.
This robust review of current research includes
all of the following papers [click link], listed by timed location in the podcast.
Please send all comments and questions to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
November
29, 2011
Dr. Tim Cripe and co-hosts Dr. Maureen O'Brien
and Dr. Raj Nagarajan interview a pediatric hematology/oncology legend, Dr.
Beatrice Lampkin, who served as Director of Cincinnati Children's Division of
Hematology/Oncology in the 1970’s. This enlightening and inspiring discussion
explores her career and her contributions to leukemia therapy and the
challenges she faced as an early leader in the field as a female. She describes
her experience with polio, paralysis from the neck down, crutches for mobility,
and later, her confinement to a wheelchair. Revealing another era in
communications with parents and patients in the 1960s and 1970s, she explains
how parents were advised to use the term "anemia" to describe their
child's condition rather than "leukemia" to to explain why the child
would require periodic blood transfusions, in order to prevent shunning by
friends and family. Dr. Lampkin also shares her satisfaction in following the
earliest survivors of pediatric cancer she treated who are now in their 40s and
50s.
As if all that isn't inspiring enough, she
describes her busy retirement in which she continues to teach the Cincinnati
Children's Hospital fellows how to examine blood and bone marrow smears under
the microscope and her work in the founding of the GLAD House (http://www.gladhouse.org/),
a sanctuary to help drug-addicted youth get off the streets.
Please send all comments and questions to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org.
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
November
15, 2011
Today’s episode features an impressive lineup
for a hot topic. Host Dr. Tim Cripe warns: “If your blood isn’t boiling by the
end, you weren't listening.” Hear Tim and co-host Dr. Lionel Chow discuss
pediatric cancer research funding with guests Dr. C. Patrick (Pat) Reynolds, Dr.
E. Anders (Andy) Kolb, and parent Joe McDonough.
Dr. Pat Reynolds puts government spending on
the number one disease killer of children in the US in perspective, comparing
the tiny $200M spent on pediatric cancer research to the foreign aid budget of
$22B (less than 1%). For example, $1.6B goes to Egypt alone. The COG budget is
a mere $46M. The DOD budget is $700B. See his slides here. Dr. Lionel Chow mentions an enlightening fact
– private donations to St Jude exceed $600M per year, on top of the givers’
paying taxes. This is 3 times the entire NCI budget for pediatric cancer
research for all institutions in the US.
Spending per Person Years Life Lost is compared
for childhood cancers and adult cancers, see graph here.
Dr. C Patrick Reynolds is Director, Cancer
Center and Professor of Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Internal Medicine, and
Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center,
Lubbock TX. Dr. E Anders Kolb is the Director of Blood and Bone Marrow
Transplantation at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, and Head of the
Cancer Therapeutics Laboratory at Nemours Biomedical Research, Wilmington, DE.
Joe McDonough is father to Andrew, and founder of The Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive)
Foundation, raising money for families and research.
Please send comments to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
October
30, 2011Several just-published papers in the literature
relate to recent podcast episodes, and host Dr. Tim Cripe and co-host Dr. Lionel Chow review these interesting
developments.
0:55 Hedgehog Signaling: Recent papers
discussing this pathway in neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma are discussed,
with implications for treatment in these tumor types with itraconozole.
6:40 Cell phone and brain tumor risk: The
controversy concerning criticism by the Environmental Health Trust of a study
showing that cell phone use does not increase risk of brain tumors in children
is explored.
Accelerated approval of cancer drugs by the FDA
and implications for pediatric cancers.
15:30 Brentuximab for two types of lymphoma
21:20 Vemurafenib for melanoma
28:30 Crizotinib for non-small cell lung cancer
(and potential use in neuroblastoma)
42:30 Response to email regarding personalized
medicine TWiPO episode #17 and lab blog for Dr Charles Keller at OHSU
References:
Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2011 Dec 1;57(6):930-8.
doi: 10.1002/pbc.23174. Hedgehog pathway activity in
pediatric embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and undifferentiated sarcoma: a report
from the Children's Oncology Group.
Int J Oncol. 2011 Oct;39(4):899-906. doi:
10.3892/ijo.2011.1076. Pharmacological inhibition of
the Hedgehog pathway preventshuman rhabdomyosarcoma cell growth.
Cancer Lett. 2011 Nov 28;310(2):222-31. Inhibition of the sonic hedgehog
pathway by cyplopaminereduces the CD133+/CD15+ cell compartment and the in
vitrotumorigenic capability of neuroblastoma cells.
Cell Phone Study Was Flawed, Say Some Experts by
Roxanne Nelson Medscape Oncology News.
The JNCI Study by Aydin et al on Risk of Childhood Brain Cancer from
Cellphone Use Reveals Serious Health Problems, Environmental Health Trust.
N Engl J Med. 2010 Nov 4;363(19):1812-21. Brentuximab
vedotin (SGN-35) for relapsed CD30-positive lymphomas.
FDA Approves Brentuximab for Two Lymphomas By:
ELIZABETH MECHCATIE, Oncology Report Digital Network.
Clin Cancer Res. 2011 Oct
15;17(20):6428-36. Brentuximab Vedotin (SGN-35).
FDA Approves Vemurafenib for Advanced Melanoma.
By: JANE SALODOF MACNEIL, Oncology Report Digital Network.
N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun
30;364(26):2507-16. Improved survival with
vemurafenib in melanoma with BRAFV600E mutation.
N Engl J Med. 2011 Jun 30;364(26):2547-8. Been
there, not done that--melanoma in the age of molecular therapy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21639809
Biochem J. 2011 Aug 15. Activating ALK mutations found in neuroblastoma are inhibited by
Crizotinib and NVP-TAE684.
N Engl J Med. 2010 Oct
28;363(18):1693-703. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibition in non-small-cell
lung cancer.
Nature. 2007 Aug 2;448(7153):561-6. Epub 2007
Jul 11. Identification of the transforming EML4-ALK fusion gene in non-small-cell
lung cancer.
Science. 1994 Mar 4;263(5151):1281-4. Fusion of a kinase gene, ALK, to
a nucleolar protein gene, NPM, in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
October
18, 2011
Host Dr. Tim Cripe and co-host Dr. Lionel Chow
welcome special guest Dr. Jeff Toretsky on TWiPO to discuss his clinical and
research interest in Ewing's sarcoma. Dr. Toretsky explains the challenges of
developing a clinical grade drug from a small molecule for a specific target
such as EWS-FLI1. The small market for a disease like Ewing's creates
formidable hurdles for researchers, yet Dr. Toretsky is driven on by the
question "If I don't do this, who will?" (17:54 mins)
Dr. Jeff Toretsky is Professor of Oncology and
Pediatrics at Georgetown University. He graduated with BS in Biochemistry from
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, and recieved his MD from University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. He completed fellowship training at the NCI
Pediatric Branch.
Please send any questions or comments to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
October
13, 2011
Host Dr. Tim Cripe and co-hosts Dr. Lars Wagner
and Dr. Lionel Chow welcome guest Dr. Giselle Sholler on this episode of TWiPO.
Dr. Sholler gives the background to her current research interest in
neuroblastoma, and describes her nifurtimox trials and how she formed the
Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC).
The physicians also discuss the specifics of the personalized medicine
feasibility trial now open for neuroblastoma.
Dr. Sholler is a Pediatric Oncologist with
Spectrum Health Medical Group, Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital, and directs the
Pediatric Oncology Therapeutic Discovery Clinic. She is also Co-Director of the
VARI/TGen Pediatric Oncology Research Program, and Associate Professor of the
Neuroblastoma Translational Research Laboratory at Van Andel Research
Institute. She has a faculty appointment within Michigan State University's
College of Human Medicine, and continues as adjunct faculty at University of
Vermont. Dr. Sholler is also a Guest Researcher in the Pediatric Oncology Branch
at the NCI.
References:
J Clin Oncol. 2010 Nov 20;28(33):4877-83. Epub
2010 Oct 4. Pilot study using molecular profiling of patients' tumors to find
potential targets and select treatments for their refractory cancers.
Science 16 Sept 2011: Vol. 333 no. 6049 pp.
1569-1571. Pushing the Envelope in Neuroblastoma Therapy
Mol Cancer Ther August 2011 10; 1311. A Pilot
Clinical Study of Treatment Guided by Personalized Tumorgrafts in Patients with
Advanced Cancer
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
October
07, 2011
Dr. Tim Cripe and co-hosts Dr. Lionel Chow and
Dr. Lars Wagner welcome special guest Dr. Stephen Lessnick for an in-depth
discussion on the progress to date in understanding the genetics of Ewing's
sarcoma. The challenges of interpreting the gene expression data as well as the
ethics of collecting tumor specimens for research purposes are also explored.
Dr.Stephen Lessnick is a Professor of Pediatrics and Oncological Sciences at
the University of Utah, where he also serves as an Attending Physician in
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake
City, UT. He received his PhD in Molecular Biology from UCLA in 1994, and his
MD from UCLA in 1996, followed by a residency at Children's Hospital in Boston,
and a fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital.
Currently, Dr. Lessnick is the Director of the Center for Children's Cancer
Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute, a Jon and Karen Huntsman Presidential
Professor in Cancer Research at the University of Utah, and is the Vice Chair
for Biology of the Bone Tumor Committee in the Children's Oncology Group.
Please send questions or comments to twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
September
28, 2011
Join host Dr. Tim Cripe with his co-hosts Drs.
Jim Geller, Lionel Chow, and Lars Wagner in a robust discussion with special
guest Dr. Kathryn Wikenheiser-Brokamp on the implications of DICER1, rare tumor
registries, and difficult issues surrounding genetic counseling.
Kathryn A. Wikenheiser-Brokamp, MD, PhD, is an
Associate Professor in Pathology and Pulmonary Biology at Cincinnati Children's
Hospital Medical Center. Her research is focused on pediatric and adult lung diseases,
including cancer. She seeks to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying
Rb/p16, p53, and Dicer1 pathway function in lung development and the
pathogenesis of lung disease. Dr. Wikenheiser-Brokamp holds a PhD in
Developmental Biology, Developmental Biology and an MD from University of
Cincinnati.
Papers discussed:
DICER1 syndrome: clarifying the diagnosis, clinical features and
management implications of a pleiotropic tumour predisposition syndrome.
J Med Genet. 2011 Apr;48(4):273-8.
Extending the Phenotypes Associated with DICER1 Mutations.
Hum Mutat. 2011 Aug 31. doi: 10.1002/humu.21600.
Ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors, pleuropulmonary blastoma and DICER1
mutations: a report from the International Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Registry.
Gynecol Oncol. 2011 Aug;122(2):246-50.
Please send questions or comments to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
August
24, 2011
In this enlightening interview with Dr. Kate
Matthay, a reknown leader in the neuroblastoma research community, host Dr. Tim
Cripe draws out the inspiration for her early interest in medicine and why her
career grew with a focus on neuroblastoma. Dr. Matthay explains the history and
challenges of clinical research for neuroblastoma:
10:00 challenges in planning and conducting the
CCG-3891 double randomized trial questioning the need for transplant and
cis-retinoic acid
15:00 discussion of the COG-A3973 trial
questioning the need for purged stem cells
15:50 rationale for the COG-ANBL0532 single
versus tandem transplant trial
16:13 discussion of the COG-ANBL0032 ch14.18
with cytokines trial
18:00 MIBG COG pilot trial
22:00 work with SIOP and NB protocol
development for children in Morocco (N Africa)
Please send any questions or comments to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org
Monday Feb 10, 2014
Monday Feb 10, 2014
August
19, 2011
Host Dr. Tim Cripe and co-hosts Dr. Lionel Chow
and Dr. Jim Geller discuss updates to previous TWiPO episodes reporting on
recent press coverage and publications of BiTE antibodies and modified T-cell
approaches, and then discuss recent studies on birth defects, birth order, and
cell phone use and possible link to risk of childhood cancers.
N Engl J Med. 2011 Aug 10. Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T Cells in Chronic
Lymphoid Leukemia.
Sci Transl Med 10 August 2011: T Cells with Chimeric Antigen Receptors Have Potent Antitumor Effects and
Can Establish Memory in Patients with Advanced Leukemia;
Vol. 3, Issue 95, p. 95ra73
7:40 Decitabine upregulation of NY-ESO-1 and
MAGE family expression in NB. MAGE-A1, MAGE-A3, and NY-ESO-1 can be upregulated on neuroblastoma cells
to facilitate cytotoxic-T lymphocyte-mediated tumor cell killing,
K Lucas
9:50 Discussion of Rosenberg paper on
immunotherapy in solid tumors; Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2011 Aug 2. doi:
10.1038/nrclinonc.2011.116. Cell transfer immunotherapy for
metastatic solid cancer-what clinicians need to know.
Rosenberg SA
13:00 Birth anomolies in CNS pediatric tumors
29:00 Absolute risk is small; will this lead to
genome-wide association studies?
31:51 Birth order and risk of
pediatric cancers
42:30 Mobile phone use and incidence
of pediatric CNS tumors.
46:47 Listener question about time elapse of
planning clinical trials to opening.
Please send any comments or questions to
twipo@solvingkidscancer.org