Funded by the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
The most common cancer in children, including teenagers, is a blood cancer named leukemia. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for pediatric leukemias. Although most patients respond well, some do not, leading to poor outcomes. Chemotherapy can also have negative side effects both during treatment and for the rest of their lives.
Patients who don’t get better with chemotherapy are those that have one of most common genetic changes, the rearrangement of a gene called KMT2A (KMT2A-r). In a study at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, patients with KMT2A-r leukemia survived for 6 months after 2 chemotherapy treatments and only 2.4 months after 3 or more treatments. Scientists are looking at new ways to treat these patients and help them live longer.
Menin inhibitors could be a good option because they target KMT2A-r leukemia and have fewer side effects than chemotherapy. But some patients with KMT2A-r leukemia can also have mutations in other proteins that don’t let the menin inhibitors work as well by themselves.
With the help of the V Foundation, Drs. Andreeff, Carter and, Cuglievan, at MD Anderson Cancer Center plan to test different combination treatments that target menin and other proteins at the same time to get better results. This can potentially help children with KMT2A-r leukemia live longer and have better lives.
