Targeted therapies against neuroblastoma

Dai Chung, M.D., discusses ongoing cancer biology laboratory investigative efforts to gain molecular insights that may allow for new targeted therapies against high-risk neuroblastomas and ultimately more effectively treat pediatric patients with this devastating cancer.

Neuroblastomas remain as one of the most difficult pediatric extracranial solid tumor to treat due to its refractoriness to multimodal treatment and/or frequent recurrent disease, especially in high-risk group. Despite intense basic scientific and translational discovery efforts spanning over the past several decades, the exact understanding of tumor biology of this enigmatic pediatric cancer remains elusive. However, on-going cancer biology laboratory investigative efforts to gain molecular insights may allow us to develop novel targeted therapies against high-risk neuroblastomas and ultimately more effectively treat pediatric patients with this devastating cancer.