When a child has a cancer with a low chance for cure or a cancer that has relapsed without curative treatment options, there aren’t as many therapies available as there are for adults.
“Unfortunately, in cancer drug development, a lot of things filter down from adult to pediatric care,” said Kevin Bielamowicz, M.D., director of the Innovative Cancer Therapeutics program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
That’s why researchers at the Innovative Cancer Therapeutics program at Arkansas Children’s are designing and conducting novel clinical trials for these younger patients.
"We are a growing institution that has a mission to help find cures for childhood cancer," Dr. Bielamowicz said. "Our program provides clinical trial options for patients with difficult-to-cure cancer, patients who have relapsed cancer with no curative therapy, or patients who have very complicated cancer diagnoses."
Cancer treatment has advanced dramatically during the past two decades, and the Innovative Cancer Therapeutics program builds on the latest research in this area.
"Some of the strategies utilized by our clinical trials include immunotherapies, personalized medicine, and new combinations of traditional and newer treatments," Dr. Bielamowicz said. "Precision medicine approaches utilize targeted agents that make sense based upon the genetics of a particular tumor, often in combination with traditional chemotherapy. Immunotherapies harness the immune system to fight cancer."
While traditional ways to treat tumors and cancers such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy save lives, they often leave children with serious side effects that linger throughout their lives. Additionally, most of their therapeutic uses have been explored.
"To some degree, we've reached the capacity of what we can do with those traditional methods," Dr. Bielamowicz said. "However, targeted agents and immunotherapy can be a little bit smarter, either harnessing the immune system to attack cancer or using specific genetic changes in a particular patient's cancer to target those mutations. In general, these treatments tend to be tolerated better, as far as long-term side effects. We hope not just to improve the rate of cure; we hope to improve the long-term quality of life for patients with some of these novel treatments."
One of the key benefits of the Innovative Cancer Therapeutics program at Arkansas Children’s Hospital is its accessibility to patients across the state.
"Some clinicians may think, 'Oh, it's no big deal if a patient needs to travel for a clinical trial to another state,' but in reality, that's not the case at all," Dr. Bielamowicz said. "Not only can travel be cost-prohibitive, but it can also be logistically difficult with parents' jobs or other siblings' schooling. I think it's important that Arkansas families can access these types of clinical trials close to home. This supports the well-being of the patient and the family and provides continuity among the care team members they encounter."
Arkansas Children's Hospital enrolls an average of 10 to 15 patients each year in early phase clinical trials for innovative therapeutics. Current offerings underway or enrolling soon include trials for the following cancers:
"As a regional referral center, we are always open to connecting providers and families with clinical trials that may help," Dr. Bielamowicz said. "And as part of an international consortium of researchers, we can also provide referrals to trials at other institutions, should that be the best option."
Our multidisciplinary team offers a variety of leading-edge treatments, including an innovative surgical intervention.
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