Significant advances have been made in recent years in the treatment of solid tumors of childhood. However, much of the improvement in survival has been made in low stage and localized disease. Of significance is the fact that the improvements have come in up-front remission rates without translation into significantly high event-free survival(EFS) or overall survival (OS). This is despite the fact that these tumors as a whole are largely chemotherapy responsive.~Recent advances in the understanding of the biology of hematopoeitic stem cells have driven the design of treatment regimens that allow for dose intensification without unacceptable hematologic toxicity. Protocol development has focused on active agents that have a broad range between hematologic and non-hematologic toxicities. This study uses a double autologous peripheral blood stem cell rescue (PBSC) following dose-intensive chemotherapy for the treatment of high-risk pediatric solid tumors. This study utilizes PBSC to limit the risk of tumor cell contamination while retaining prompt hematologic recovery from these highly intensified treatments.
This study uses a double autologous peripheral blood stem cell rescue (PBSC) following dose-intensive chemotherapy for the treatment of high-risk pediatric solid tumors.