Novel Drugs for Neuroblastoma

Drug development for pediatric tumors is slow in comparison with efforts focused on adult cancers. Present risk-based therapy for neuroblastoma, the most common extra-cranial solid tumor in children, is usually effective in intermediate risk patients but treatment of the advanced disease in children over 2 years of age is not satisfactory. Novel targeted therapeutics that are at early stages of preclinical and clinical development for treatment of neuroblastoma include inhibitors of signal transduction and angiogenesis, stimulators of apoptosis/differentiation, and immunotherapeutics. That diverse panel of small molecules and biologics is often characterized by improved therapeutic indices in comparison with conventional agents and holds promise for the treatment and prevention of neuroblastoma