Improving patient outcomes in pediatric cancer: the
critical role for translational research
Since the introduction of chemotherapy for the treatment of childhood
leukemia more than 60 years ago, the prognosis for children with cancer
has improved dramatically.2 The 5-year survival rate
for childhood cancers, many of which were uniformly fatal in the
pre-chemotherapy era, is now approaching 80%3Significant improvements in outcomes for pediatric cancers are the
result of enhanced understanding of disease biology, successful
application of disease risk stratification, and improved therapeutic
approaches including use of multiagent chemotherapy or multi-modality
therapies. Despite these advances, several childhood cancers still have
unacceptably low cure rates; and even when treatment is successful, the
acute and long-term morbidity and mortality of current therapy can be
substantial.4
Central to the continuous improvement in outcome for children with
cancer have been collaborative clinical-translational research efforts
throughout the world. In fact, pediatric oncology as a clinical and
academic subspecialty evolved in tandem with improvements in cancer
outcomes for children. As cancer continues to be the leading cause of
death from disease in children, it is imperative that these research
efforts continue and the infrastructure supporting such research be
maintained in both the near and long term.