Cancer cell: targeted therapy helps to treat children's fatal nerve cancer

October 20, 2019 / BIOON / -- according to a recent study published in cancer cell, researchers in Mount Sinai have developed a targeted treatment for adult neuroblastoma, a fatal pediatric neuroma Neuroblastoma occurs in immature nerve cells of adrenal gland and spine during the development of sympathetic nervous system Neuroblastoma is one of the most common and aggressive tumors of the nervous system in children Its prognosis is usually poor, especially in older children The treatment success rate of this disease is quite different, but it is generally lower in adolescent patients, especially because of the lack of effective targeted treatment Researchers in Mount Sinai have found that the deletion of the ATRX gene in neuroblastoma in older children and adolescents may lead to a response to targeted treatment of tazemetostat Tazemetostat blocks an enzyme called EZH2, which suppresses gene expression that promotes normal neuronal development, killing neuroblastoma EZH2 inhibitors have been tested in phase I and phase II clinical trials for other cancers, including lymphoma, sarcoma and other solid tumors, with some satisfactory results (image source: www Pixabay Com) "we hypothesized that mutations in the ATRX protein would lead to increased invasiveness of neuroblastoma," said Emily, Professor of oncology, Tisch Institute of cancer research, Mount Icahn Medical College, Sinai "In this study, we aim to reveal the potential biological characteristics of these altered proteins in neuroblastoma and develop corresponding therapies," Dr Bernstein said Scientists in Mount Sinai continue to extend this study to the role of mutated ATRX protein, and hope to eventually carry out clinical trials with cooperative institutions Based on this study, they believe that EZH2 inhibitors may also be effective for other ATRX mutant cancers, such as glioblastoma and osteosarcoma in children And, Elizabeth Stewart, Sara Federico, Soledad Gallego, Fumiko Dekio, Mary Fowkes, David Meni, John M Maris, William A Weiss, Stephen S Roberts, Nai-Kong V Cheung, Jian Jin, Miguel F Segura, Michael A Dyer, Emily Bernstein ATRX In-Frame Fusion Neuroblastoma Is Sensitive to EZH2 Inhibition via Modulation of Neuronal Gene Signatures Cancer Cell , 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2019.09.002