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Research
Updates in infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the potential for targeted therapyOutcomes for infants diagnosed under 1 year of age with KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have remained stagnant over the past 20 years. Successive treatment protocols have previously focused on intensification of conventional chemotherapy, but increased treatment-related toxicity and chemoresistance have led to a plateau in survival.
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Childhood cancers not on the rise in SA and NT, but disparity remains for Indigenous children in the NTDespite national and global reports of rising incidences of cancer affecting children and young people, a new analysis has found rates of childhood cancer have remained unchanged over the last 30 years in South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Research
Malignant Melanoma in Children and Adolescents Treated in Pediatric Oncology Centers: An Australian and New Zealand Children’s Oncology Group (ANZCHOG) StudyUnlike adults, malignant melanoma in children and adolescents is rare. In adult melanoma, significant progress in understanding tumor biology and new treatments, including targeted therapies and immunotherapy have markedly improved overall survival. In sharp contrast, there is a paucity of data on the biology and clinical behavior of pediatric melanoma. We report a national case series of all pediatric and adolescent malignant melanoma presenting to ANZCHOG Childhood Cancer Centers in Australia and New Zealand.
Research
Fine-Tuning the Tumour Microenvironment: Current Perspectives on the Mechanisms of Tumour ImmunosuppressionImmunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of cancers by harnessing the power of the immune system to eradicate malignant tissue. However, it is well recognised that some cancers are highly resistant to these therapies, which is in part attributed to the immunosuppressive landscape of the tumour microenvironment (TME). The contexture of the TME is highly heterogeneous and contains a complex architecture of immune, stromal, vascular and tumour cells in addition to acellular components such as the extracellular matrix. While understanding the dynamics of the TME has been instrumental in predicting durable responses to immunotherapy and developing new treatment strategies, recent evidence challenges the fundamental paradigms of how tumours can effectively subvert immunosurveillance. Here, we discuss the various immunosuppressive features of the TME and how fine-tuning these mechanisms, rather than ablating them completely, may result in a more comprehensive and balanced anti-tumour response.
Research
Tumor Infiltrating Effector Memory Antigen-Specific CD8(+) T Cells Predict Response to Immune Checkpoint TherapyImmune checkpoint therapy (ICT) results in durable responses in individuals with some cancers, but not all patients respond to treatment. ICT improves CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function, but changes in tumor antigen-specific CTLs post-ICT that correlate with successful responses have not been well characterized. Here, we studied murine tumor models with dichotomous responses to ICT.
Research
Evaluation of age-dependent treatment strategies for children and young adults with pineoblastoma: Analysis of pooled European Society for Paediatric Oncology (SIOP-E) and US Head Start dataPineoblastoma is a rare pineal region brain tumor. Treatment strategies have reflected those for other malignant embryonal brain tumors.
News & Events
Cancer researcher to use Forrest Fellowship to tackle high rates of relapse after sarcoma surgeryA The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher aiming to reduce the high rate of relapse in children after cancer surgery has won a prestigious post-doctoral fellowship from the Forrest Foundation.
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The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers share in TPCHRF fundingEight The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers are among those who have received grant funding from the Telethon-Perth Children’s Hospital Research Fund (TPCHRF).
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Pioneering research could be key to keeping cancer in checkCancer research is being reimagined after a collaboration between The Kids Research Institute Australia, the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
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Researchers find genetic clue to cancer relapseCancer researchers at The Kids for Child Health Research have developed a new test that can rapidly detect the loss of genes in cancer cells.