Advances in emerging drugs for the treatment of neuroblastoma

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Neuroblastoma is the most common solid extracranial tumor of childhood. Outcome for children with high-risk neuroblastoma remains suboptimal. More than half of children diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma either do not respond to conventional therapies or relapse after treatment with dismal prognosis.

Areas covered: This paper presents a short review of the state of the art in the current treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. An updated review of new targeted therapies in this group of patients is also presented.

Expert opinion: In order to improve prognosis for high-risk patients there is an urgent need to better understand spatial and temporal heterogeneity and obtain new predictive preclinical models in neuroblastoma. Combination strategies with conventional chemotherapy and/or other targeted therapies may overcome current ALK inhibitors resistance. Improvement of international and transatlantic cooperation to speed clinical trials accrual is needed.

KEYWORDS:

• Neuroblastoma
• drug development
• emerging drugs
• targeted therapies
• chemotherapy
• high-dose chemotherapy
• radiotherapy
• immunotherapy
• ALK inhibitors
• PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Declaration of interest

The authors state no conflict of interest and have received no payment in preparation of this manuscript.

This work has been partially supported by Prometeo 2012/0325 Conselleria d’Educació, Generalitat Valenciana.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.