New Treatments and New Therapies

Significant strides have been made in the area of cancer immunotherapy, sometimes referred to as the fourth discipline to fight cancer, in addition to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This chapter will focus on the emerging therapies and strategies that are in late preclinical phases of development or currently being utilized in early clinical trials. Some of these promising therapies may have applications in the treatment of pediatric solid tumors while others may remain preclinical yet provide a limited forecast of the possibilities that lie on the horizon of pediatric cancer care. This chapter will specifically discuss immune-based (cellular, vaccine, and monoclonal), anti-angiogenesis, and gene and antisense therapies to provide a conceptual foundation of understanding these novel and emerging cancer strategies.