New and Developed Immunotherapies

Car T cell therapy is a recently FDA approved immunotherapy. This therapy is targeted at T cells. T cells are taken from the blood and paired with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) which signal immune cells once put back into the blood stream. The antigen binds to the cancer cells proteins and kill the cells. This treatment is used on children with acute lymphoblastic Leukemia. This immunotherapy is important to child cancers as leukemia is the most common child cancer.

Dinutuximab or commonly known as Unituxin, is the first FDA approved monoclonal antibody therapy for advanced neuroblastoma in children. This therapy is partnered with anti-GD2, which is a tumor killing toxin. This antibody binds to GD2 found in neuroblastoma cells to alert the immune cells of the threat. This therapy boosts T cells to fight the cancers and halts the reproduction of tumor cells in the region. This treatment is important to child cancers as brain tumors are the second most common child cancer formality. ​

This treatment is given through an Iv line. The antibody takes about 10 or more hours to administer. This treatment may also be injected directly into the cancerous region or taken in the form of a pill by mouth. Premedication requires the patient to be hydrated and given pain medicine and other side effect preventatives. Up to the first five cycles the patient is expected to stay at the hospital. Cycle 6 is typically administered by mouth.