Antibody based therapy for childhood solid cancers

Antibody therapy for cancer has potential to combine specific targeting with a range of effector mechanisms to produce potent anti-tumor responses. Antibody-based treatments are growing in success for adult cancers but have shown limited efficacy for pediatric cancers. Pediatric solid tumors have a lower mutation load that their adult counterparts and pose a unique set of challenges compared to hematological malignancies and to adult solid tumors. Whilst a number of antibodies have been subject to clinical trials in pediatric patients the response tends to be limited and there is need to identify patients most likely to benefit. The role of antibodies in combination with conventional chemotherapy and new emerging therapies is a developing field that could provide new opportunities.