When we hear about pediatric oncology, we’re often faced with statistics that demonstrate how underfunded research is and how far we must go to effectively and safely treat kids with cancer. While it’s true that there’s a lot of work to be done to advance pediatric cancer care, great strides have been made over the years.

We’ve seen the mortality rate drop while life expectancy has increased. Every breakthrough, big or small, makes all the difference in the world to a child, a family, facing cancer. As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to highlight just a few of the critical breakthroughs that have transformed pediatric cancer care.

We have a long way to go…but look how far we’ve come!

5 Landmark Breakthroughs in Pediatric Cancer Research

Breakthrough #1 – CAR T-Cell Therapy

One of the focuses in pediatric cancer research is immunotherapy, a treatment which can either activate or suppress the immune system to fight cancer. CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy essentially modifies the body’s T-cells (a type of white blood cell) to “seek and destroy” cancer cells. Though the greatest advances have been made in treating adult cancer with immunotherapy, CAR T-cell therapy has shown to eradicate advanced leukemia in children.

When other treatments stop working, immunotherapy can still work and yield great results.

Breakthrough #2 – Filgrastim

Even thirty years ago, we did not have the drug called filgrastim (brand names in the U.S. are Granix, Neupogen, Nivestym, and Zarxio). This drug is used for two primary purposes. The first is to combat a side effect of some chemotherapies called neutropenia, which is a reduction of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood. It is also used to move stem cells from bone marrow to bloodstream so that they can be collected, stored, and given back in a process called autologous stem cell transplantation.

Essentially, filgrastim helps the bone marrow recover more quickly from the effects of cancer treatment – meaning fewer days stuck recovering in the hospital.

Breakthrough #3 – Advancements in Treatment Safety

One of the primary ways adult cancer treatment and pediatric cancer treatment differ is in their primary goal. In adults – particularly older adults – the goal is often quality of life, not necessarily quantity of life. For children, though, the goal is to cure them and set them up for a long, healthy life. Children’s Oncology Group (COG) clinical trials are on the forefront of making cancer treatment much safer for children – reducing the instance of short- and long-term side effects.

Cancer treatment has also grown much more precise, targeted, and tailored to the individual, which minimizes “collateral damage” that can be caused by aggressive cancer therapies.

Breakthrough #4 – Data Collection & Analysis

The digital age has connected us in extremely valuable ways. One of those ways is in networking researchers will one another and consolidating the collection of data through programs like the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI). The idea is that, through data, we can learn from every child with cancer. The CCDI also includes the Molecular Characterization Protocol, a program that helps collect cancerous tissue from children with types of cancer where research is lacking.

By targeting cancers with limited or less effective treatments, doctors and researchers can collaborate and corroborate on findings on a case-by-case basis.

Breakthrough #5 – Nausea Treatments

For kids with cancer, side effects can be particularly grueling. While their bodies are young and often in a better position to tolerate more aggressive treatments, they’re still children! It’s particularly difficult for children when their cancer treatment causes hair loss, nausea, loss of appetite, and fatigue, among other things.

Like filgrastim, we only saw ondansetron (Zofran) approved by the FDA in 1991 – just over thirty years ago. Zofran reduces nausea and vomiting. It’s used in childhood cancer patients going through chemotherapy and it significantly improves their comfort, quality of care, and overall treatment experience. While Zofran doesn’t cure cancer, it does play an integral role in supporting cancer patients.

Zofran and medications like it not only can increase the tolerance for some intensive treatment, but it also lends a sense of normalcy and hope to children in what can be an exhausting, demoralizing process.

Each advancement, whether it aims to tackle cancer treatment directly or helps in the periphery, is worth celebrating. We’re thankful to be in the here and now, when the outlook for pediatric cancer patients is only improving thanks to diligent research and dedicated medical professionals.