Vinblastine and Sirolimus in Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Solid Tumors Including CNS Tumors
Solving Kids’ Cancer initiated a research project to screen thousands of drugs that were not used for cancer against neuroblastoma tumor-initiating stem cells. These cells are a special subset of tumor cells that may be responsible for relapse in patients.
Project Title: Vinblastine and Sirolimus in Pediatric Patients With Recurrent or Refractory Solid Tumors Including CNS Tumors
Researcher: Sylvain Baruchel, MD
Institution: Hospital for Sick Children
Study Type: Phase I clinical trial
Status: Completed
Solving Kids’ Cancer had initiated a research project to screen thousands of drugs that were typically not used for cancer against neuroblastoma tumor-initiating stem cells. These cells are a special subset of tumor cells that may be responsible for relapse in patients. Through this, researchers identified one drug that was very effective in killing these cells. The drug is called Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin, and is currently approved for preventing rejection in patients with organ transplants. This work led to the first use of this drug in children with solid tumors. In this phase I clinical trial, children received both rapamycin and another cancer drug known as vinblastine because the two drugs combined were shown to be more effective against pediatric tumors.
To learn more about this trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov.
Charity Partners: Pierce Phillips Charity