{"id":28314,"date":"2022-09-06T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cancer.gov\/news-events\/cancer-currents-blog\/2022\/study-confirms-dinutiximab-high-risk-neuroblastoma"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:13:16","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:13:16","slug":"study-confirms-dinutuximab-extends-life-for-children-with-high-risk-neuroblastoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/study-confirms-dinutuximab-extends-life-for-children-with-high-risk-neuroblastoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Study Confirms Dinutuximab Extends Life for Children with High-Risk Neuroblastoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n
\n
\"A <\/div>
\n
\n

A fluorescence microscope image of neuroblastoma cells. Updated results from a large study continue to show that dinutuximab is an effective treatment for children with high-risk neuroblastoma.<\/p>\n

Credit: iStock<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In a clinical trial of nearly 1,200 children with high-risk neuroblastoma, researchers have confirmed that the immunotherapy drug dinutuximab (Unituxin) can help children live longer.<\/p>\n

Five years after being treated with dinutuximab<\/a>, given along with two immune-boosting compounds and isotretinoin<\/a>, 72% of children in the study were still alive<\/a> and 61% had no evidence that their cancer had come back or their tumors had grown.<\/p>\n

The study results were published July 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The findings come from an extension of a clinical trial<\/a> that initially compared isotretinoin alone with isotretinoin in combination with dinutuximab and the two immune-boosting compounds.<\/p>\n

The initial trial showed that the dinutuximab combination substantially increased the number of patients who had no evidence of their disease coming back at 2 years and improved how long patients lived (overall survival<\/a>). In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration approved dinutuximab to treat children with high-risk neuroblastoma.<\/a><\/p>\n

Once the survival benefit of dinutuximab became evident, although children continued to be enrolled in the study, all new participants were treated with dinutuximab.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe survival outcomes of these participants confirm the efficacy of dinutuximab shown in the initial study,\u201d said Alice Yu, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego, who led the study, which was carried out by the NCI-sponsored Children\u2019s Oncology Group.<\/p>\n

Nita Seibel, M.D., head of Pediatric Solid Tumor Therapeutics in NCI\u2019s Cancer Therapy and Evaluation Program<\/a>, said the longer-term data in such a large number of patients provide important confirmation of dinutuximab\u2019s effectiveness. However, Dr. Seibel said she\u2019s particularly excited about ongoing and planned studies that are building on this initial success with dinutuximab by maximizing the drug\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hopeful that we can make further improvements in the treatment of children with high-risk neuroblastoma,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ami V. Desai, M.D., a pediatric oncologist at the University of Chicago and part of the research team, agreed. \u201cDinutuximab has transformed the way we treat patients with neuroblastoma,\u201d Dr. Desai said. \u201cHow can we further enhance the efficacy of dinutuximab, and how can it be used in different parts of therapy?\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting a better understanding of dinutuximab\u2019s impact<\/h2>\n

Neuroblastoma is a childhood cancer of immature nerve cells<\/a>. It\u2019s rare, with only 800 children diagnosed each year in the United States, mainly infants and those under 5 years old. The disease is called high-risk when it has certain features that indicate it is aggressive, such as if it has spread from its original location. Approximately half the children diagnosed each year have high-risk disease.<\/p>\n

Children with high-risk neuroblastoma typically undergo an intensive course of treatment that involves three phases:<\/p>\n