Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42666775›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2026

Targeted immunotherapies for anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive pediatric tumors: current advances and future perspectives.

Monica Maccagno, Roberta Tagliero, Roberto Chiarle, Claudia Voena

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

4 authors.

Monica Maccagno *Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
Roberta Tagliero *Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
Roberto ChiarleDepartment of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
Claudia VoenaDepartment of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, Molecular Biotechnology Center, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Next-Generation Treatment for Pediatric Cancer: Advancing Immunotherapy through Combinations. Cancer remains one of the leading causes of disease-related mortality among children and adolescents. Despite advances in treatments, outcomes for many pediatric tumors remain limited, particularly in patients with high-risk, relapsed, or refractory disease. Standard therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and stem cell transplantation, are frequently associated with severe long-term toxicities and secondary malignancies. Resistance and relapse remain major clinical challenges. Recent progress in cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized adult oncology, and remarkable clinical advances have been observed in several pediatric cancers. However, comparable benefits in most solid tumors remain limited. Among molecular targets, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has emerged as a critical driver of tumorigenesis in several pediatric malignancies, including anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), neuroblastoma and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. While ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors have demonstrated clinical benefit, the emergence of resistance highlights the need for alternative or complementary strategies. ALK can act as an oncoantigen, as shown by spontaneous ALK-specific humoral and T-cell responses in patients with ALK-positive ALCL, and ALK-directed immunotherapies have been developed and have shown efficacy in preclinical models of ALK-positive tumors, including ALCL and neuroblastoma. Therefore, ALK-directed immunotherapies represent biologically rational and promising approaches that may, if proven safe and effective in clinical trials, address resistance and improve long-term disease control. In this review, we will discuss ALK-specific immunotherapies, including ALK vaccines, ALK CAR-T and other cellular therapies, as well as ALK-targeting antibodies with a particular focus on pediatric ALK-positive tumors.

Indexed as

Anaplastic Lymphoma KinaseImmunotherapyLymphoma, Large-Cell, AnaplasticNeoplasmsAnimalsChildHumansMolecular Targeted TherapyProtein Kinase InhibitorsALK protein, humanAnaplastic Lymphoma KinaseProtein Kinase InhibitorsALK-positive tumorsanaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)antibody-drug conjugateCAR-Timmunotherapypediatric cancerTCR-Tvaccine

Identifiers

PMID42666775
PMCPMC13523049

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.