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It is now well accepted that germline or de novo genetic alterations predispose to cancer development, especially during childhood. Among them, constitutive trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome (DS), has been shown to predispose to acute leukemia affecting both the myeloid (ML-DS) and lymphoid (DS-ALL) lineages. ML-DS is associated with a good prognosis compared to children without DS, due in part to a higher sensitivity to conventional chemotherapy.

Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk of long-term skeletal muscle deficits following intensive therapies during critical periods of growth. This review aimed to synthesize approaches for assessing muscle quantity, quality, and function in CCS and to quantify deficits relative to healthy peers. 

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a proven curative therapy for children with high-risk myeloid malignancies. Disease relapse, transplant-related mortality and graft versus host disease (GvHD) are the main causes of treatment failure and death post-transplant. The optimum pretransplant conditioning regimen is yet to be defined. There is limited data regarding the use of busulfan, fludarabine and melphalan as a myeloablative conditioning regimen in children receiving HSCT for myeloid malignancies.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is one of the most treatable forms of paediatric cancer; however, there is a substantial burden of treatment-related toxicities (TRTs). In addition, the long-term changes in children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to toxic treatments are not well understood.

Rishi S. Kotecha MB ChB (Hons) MRCPCH FRACP PhD Co-Head, Leukaemia Translational Research rishi.kotecha@health.wa.gov.au Co-Head, Leukaemia

Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, occurs when abnormal skin cells multiply rapidly in an uncontrolled way.

Brain tumours are the second most common cancer in children (after leukaemia).

Childhood cancers are rare, but incidence has risen modestly in countries with robust registration, partly reflecting improved diagnosis. In high-income countries, cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children. Marked inequities in incidence, survival, and research capacity underscore the need for large-scale collaboration to identify environmental, genetic, and contextual determinants of risk. 

Monoclonal antibodies are revolutionizing the landscape of current cancer treatment, bringing hope to patients with incurable cancers. B7-H3 (CD276) is an attractive therapeutic target for antibody-based therapy due to its low or absent expression in normal tissues and high expression in various types of tumors, including prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and high-mortality esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In recent years, various B7-H3-targeting antibodies have been developed for cancer treatment, with a few making their way to clinical trials.

Over 90% of US children with cancer are treated at Children's Oncology Group (COG) centers, which seek to maximize enrollment in therapeutic and biobanking studies. Rare cancers have demonstrated lower than expected COG enrollment. We evaluated trends in COG rare cancer enrollment compared to US incidence from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries, examining the impact of COG therapeutic trials and Project:EveryChild, a cancer biobank/registry.