Drug That Stops Tumors’ Blood Supply Could Help Kids
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Pazopanib Shows Promise in Treating Aggressive Childhood Cancer – Ewing Sarcoma
Table of Contents
New research suggests the drug pazopanib may substantially improve survival rates for children diagnosed with multi-metastatic Ewing sarcoma, a notably aggressive form of bone cancer. While historically dismal, survival rates are showing encouraging signs with the addition of this targeted therapy.
Understanding Ewing Sarcoma
Ewing sarcoma is a rare cancer that primarily affects children and young adults. It typically originates in the bones, most commonly in the legs, arms, or pelvis. However, it can also occur in soft tissues. When the cancer spreads (metastasizes) to othre parts of the body – becoming multi-metastatic - the prognosis is particularly poor.Standard treatment involves a combination of chemotherapy,surgery,and radiation therapy. Despite these aggressive treatments, survival rates remain low for patients with widespread disease.
Key Statistics
| Statistic | data |
|---|---|
| Typical Age of Diagnosis | 10-20 years old |
| Five-Year Survival Rate (Multi-metastatic) | Less than 25% (various studies) |
| Pazopanib Patient Survival (2 years) | 85% |
| Pazopanib Patients with No Disease Progression (2 years) | 66% |
How Pazopanib Works
Pazopanib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI).Originally developed to treat renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer), it works by blocking the signals that tell tumors to grow new blood vessels – a process called angiogenesis. Tumors need a blood supply to receive oxygen and nutrients, and to grow and spread. By inhibiting angiogenesis, pazopanib effectively “starves” the tumor, making it more vulnerable to other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
Prof. Anna raciborska of the Warsaw mother and Child Institute explains, “Pazopanib is a pill that blocks the tumor’s ability to grow new blood vessels, which tumors need to survive and spread.By cutting off this ‘blood supply’, the drug presumably makes tumors weaker and more sensitive to chemotherapy and radiation. This may slow down the disease and help existing treatments work better.”
the Study Findings
Researchers at the Warsaw Mother and Child Institute retrospectively analyzed data from 11