Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40917072›Full record

ArticleCancer medicine2025

Contemporary Characteristics and Outcomes of Pediatric Oncology Patients Participating in Early Phase Clinical Trials.

Avina Rami, Kira Bona, Suzanne Shusterman, Karen Wright, Andrew E Place, Puja J Umaretiya, Ketki Bhushan, Steven G DuBois, Kevin Campbell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Moving toward precision communication in pediatric oncology clinical trials: An outline of a conceptual framework to support caregiver decision-making.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Avina RamiHarvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5509-6033
Kira BonaDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Suzanne ShustermanDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Karen WrightDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Andrew E PlaceDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Puja J UmaretiyaDivision of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Ketki BhushanDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Steven G DuBoisDana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0882-738X
Kevin CampbellChildren's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Funding

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhase 1 or phase 1/2 trials are a first step in pediatric cancer drug development. Currently, there is a paucity of information regarding contemporary outcomes for pediatric patients enrolled in these trials. We describe characteristics and outcomes of patients enrolled in pediatric phase 1 clinical trials over a 9-year period at a single institution.

methodsWe queried our clinical trials management system to generate a list of patients enrolled and treated on pediatric phase 1 or phase 1/2 trials from 2011 to 2019. We collected baseline demographics, clinical data, efficacy, and safety endpoints post-enrollment including: time to death, objective response to therapy, duration on therapy, need for dose modification, and occurrence of dose-limiting toxicity. Overall survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods.

resultsA total of 224 unique patients accounted for 259 enrollments and 242 treatment episodes. The median age at enrollment was 11 years (range 0-27 years) and 56.2% were male. The majority were White (85.7%) and Non-Hispanic (88.2%). English was the primary language for 86.3% of patients, and 54.9% had private insurance. Solid tumors were the most common malignancy (41.0%), followed by brain tumors (34.1%), and hematologic malignancies (24.9%). Among treatment episodes, 49.3% received targeted monotherapy. After first enrollment, 27.6% of patients had an objective response to therapy (52.9% for hematologic malignancies, 20.5% for brain tumors, and 15.8% for solid tumors). The median duration of therapy was 1.5 months. Median overall survival from first enrollment for 218 patients treated with available vital status was 13.1 months. Toxicity outcomes included 27 patients (11.2%) requiring dose modification and 22 patients (9.0%) having a DLT.

conclusionsOverall survival is poor for patients in pediatric oncology early phase trials, despite approximately a quarter having an initial response. These data are informative for discussions between providers and families regarding outcomes after phase 1 trial participation.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsClinical Trials, Phase I as TopicNeoplasmsAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolClinical Trials, Phase II as TopicFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornMaleTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultAntineoplastic Agentsclinical trialoncologypediatricphase Iresponsetoxicity

Identifiers

PMID40917072
PMCPMC12415703

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.