Search
The rarity of the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) population poses a significant challenge for MSC research. Therefore, these cells are often expanded in vitro, prior to use. However, long-term culture has been shown to alter primary MSC properties.
DNA-informed prescribing (termed pharmacogenomics, PGx) is the epitome of personalised medicine. Despite international guidelines existing, its implementation in paediatric oncology remains sparse.
Osteoclasts are important regulators of bone remodeling, with an established role in maintaining skeletal homeostasis. The emergence of osteoimmunology has identified osteoclasts as key players in the immune system. In particular, osteoclasts can initiate bi-directional crosstalk mechanisms with hematopoietic stem cells and various immune cells, such as T cells, B cells and NK cells, to influence hematopoiesis and inflammatory response.
Components of the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) have been shown to mediate the way in which leukemia develops, progresses and responds to treatment. Increasing evidence shows that leukemic cells hijack the BMM, altering its functioning and establishing leukemia-supportive interactions with stromal and immune cells.
Cardio-oncology is a new multidisciplinary area of expertise that seeks to pre-emptively and proactively address cardiac complications that emerge during and following cancer therapy. Modern therapies including molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy have broadened the agents that can cause cardiac sequelae, often with complications arising within days to weeks of therapy.
Invasive fungal disease (IFD) remains a challenging complication of treatment for paediatric acute leukaemia. Consensus fungal treatment guidelines recommend withholding chemotherapy to facilitate immune recovery in this setting, yet prolonged delays in leukaemia therapy increase risk of relapse.
Pineoblastoma is a rare brain tumor usually diagnosed in children. Given its rarity, no pineoblastoma-specific trials have been conducted. Studies have included pineoblastoma accruing for other embryonal tumors over the past 30 years.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in infants younger than 1 year of age is an aggressive, high-risk subtype of childhood ALL. Infant ALL with KMT2A-r is characteristically poorly responsive to chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. New strategies, such as molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies, are in development and show promise in preclinical models and early phase studies.
The outcome of infants with KMT2A-germline acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is superior to that of infants with KMT2A-rearranged ALL but has been inferior to non-infant ALL patients. Here, we describe the outcome and prognostic factors for 167 infants with KMT2A-germline ALL enrolled in the Interfant-06 study.
Invasive fungal disease (IFD) is a common and important complication in children with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We describe the epidemiology of IFD in a large multicentre cohort of children with AML.