Landscape of early clinical trials for childhood and adolescence cancer in Spain.

Clin Transl Oncol

CNIO-HNJ Clinical Research Unit, Servicio de Onco-Hematologia y Transplante, Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Department, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Avenida Menéndez Pelayo, 65, 28009, Madrid, Spain.

Published: July 2016

Purpose: Despite numerous advances, survival remains dismal for children and adolescents with poor prognosis cancers or those who relapse or are refractory to first line treatment. There is, therefore, a major unmet need for new drugs. Recent advances in the knowledge of molecular tumor biology open the door to more adapted therapies according to individual alterations. Promising results in the adult anticancer drug development have not yet been translated into clinical practice. We report the activity in early pediatric oncology trials in Spain.

Methods: All members of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology (SEHOP) were contacted to obtain information about early trials open in each center.

Results: 22 phase I and II trials were open as of May 2015: 15 for solid tumors (68 %) and 7 for hematological malignancies (32 %). Fourteen (64 %) were industry sponsored. Since 2010, four centers have joined the Innovative Therapies For Children With Cancer, an international consortium whose aim is developing novel therapies for pediatric cancers. A substantial number of studies have opened in these 5 years, improving the portfolio of trials for children. Results of recently closed trials show the contribution of Spanish investigators, the introduction of molecularly targeted agents and their benefits.

Conclusions: Clinical trials are the way to evaluate new drugs, avoiding the use of off-label drugs that carry significant risks. The Spanish pediatric oncology community through the SEHOP is committed to develop and participate in collaborative academic trials, to favor the advancement and optimization of existing therapies in pediatric cancer.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12094-015-1421-9DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

trials
8
clinical trials
8
pediatric oncology
8
trials open
8
therapies pediatric
8
pediatric
5
landscape early
4
early clinical
4
trials childhood
4
childhood adolescence
4

Similar Publications

Background: Stigma toward transgender children and adolescents negatively impacts their health and educational outcomes. Contact with members of stigmatized groups can dismantle stereotypes and reduce stigma by facilitating exposure to the unique cognitive and emotional perspectives of individuals within the group. Recent evidence suggests that video-based contact interventions can be as effective as face-to-face encounters, but challenges lie in protecting the identities of transgender youth, since many of them live in stealth.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The optimal approach to the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in primary care is unclear.

Aim: To determine if external loop recorder (ELR) screening improves atrial fibrillation detection in community dwelling adults with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of greater than two.

Design: Randomised cross-over clinical trial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Survivors of childhood maltreatment (CM) often experience self-stigma, the internalization of negative attitudes such as shame, self-blame, and a reluctance to disclose their experiences. These self-perceptions pose a significant barrier to treatment-seeking and may exacerbate psychiatric distress. Prior research indicates that social contact-based interventions are effective in reducing stigma, but no study to date has examined their impact on self-stigma and increasing openness to treatment-seeking among CM survivors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is effective in treating major depressive disorder (MDD) with childhood trauma, and virtual reality (VR) can further extend its application form. However, the utilization of VR-EMDR in treating MDD with childhood trauma is still in its infancy, and whether it can improve depressive symptoms and traumatic experience remains unknown.

Method: Seventy-two MDD patients were randomly allocated to the intervention group and the wait-list control group on a 1:1 basis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The known and established benefits of exercise in patients with heart failure (HF) are often hampered by low exercise adherence. Mobile health (mHealth) technology provides opportunities to overcome barriers to exercise adherence in this population.

Objective: This systematic review builds on prior research to (1) describe study characteristics of mHealth interventions for exercise adherence in HF including details of sample demographics, sample sizes, exercise programs, and theoretical frameworks; (2) summarize types of mHealth technology used to improve exercise adherence in patients with HF; (3) highlight how the term "adherence" was defined and how it was measured across mHealth studies and adherence achieved; and (4) highlight the effect of age, sex, race, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification, and HF etiology (systolic vs diastolic) on exercise adherence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!