By reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have significantly improved survival for children with refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, decades of research and care have shown that treatment for pediatric cancers can affect survivors long into adulthood. So, learning from the past, a national group of physicians and scientists developing CAR T–cell therapies (the

Some children diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) appear to have lower-risk disease, yet their cancer can still become dangerously aggressive. Researchers have now uncovered biological similarities that may explain why, raising the possibility of identifying these children earlier and matching treatment more closely to their actual risk. Read more: https://scitechdaily.com/lower-risk-childhood-cancer-may-be-more-dangerous-than-it-appears/

The study, published in Practical Radiation Oncology, is the first to examine the experience of giving three courses of radiation treatment to patients with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) that has recurred. Read more: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-largest-courses-children-deadly-brain.html/

Raya Saab is revealing how a deadly pediatric muscle cancer rewires its environment to spread — pointing to new, targetable pathways for future drug development. Read more: https://med.stanford.edu/cancer/about/news/unraveling-how-a-deadly-childhood-cancer-spreads-could-keep-it-i.html

Survivors of pediatric cancers are at higher risk of getting age-related conditions, like heart disease and secondary cancers, at younger-than-average ages. Whether their immune systems also age more rapidly — and how this may contribute to the early onset of age-associated conditions — is an open question. Read more: https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2026/09/dhodapkar-immune-aging-survivorship-R01.html

When researchers at Lund University investigated how the molecule UM171 works, a molecule used to make blood stem cells multiply, they made an unexpected connection. The results provide new insights into how one of the most common malignant brain tumors in children could be treated in the future. Read more: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260827/Unexpected-discovery-points-to-a-possible-route-for-childhood-brain-tumor-treatments.aspx

The field has exceptional scientific expertise, experienced clinicians, specialized cancer centers, research networks, pharmaceutical capabilities, regulatory mechanisms, and philanthropic support. The problem is that they are not always connected at the points where they could have the greatest influence on whether a promising program becomes a medicine. Read more: https://www.clinicalleader.com/doc/turning-pediatric-cancer-discoveries-into-medicines-requires-better-connecti

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that removing the gene for Regnase-1 from engineered immune cells makes them more effective at treating relapsed osteosarcoma. Read more: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-car-cell-therapy-pediatric.html

Adult childhood cancer survivors treated with anthracyclines have elevated cardiometabolic risk, emphasizing the need for structured cardiac follow-up. Read more: https://www.oncologynurseadvisor.com/news/anthracyclines-cardiometabolic-risk-childhood-cancer-survivors-treatment/

Adult survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma had nearly twice the mortality of the general United States population, according to a population-based retrospective cohort study of 20,057 long-term survivors. Read more: https://www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/hematology/news/hodgkin-lymphoma-survivors-face-higher-long-term-mortality/