University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFResearchers recently identified a universal, essential biomarker for the childhood cancer neuroblastoma – and the biomarker could be a potential new target for treatment.
Neuroblastoma accounts for 15% of all pediatric cancer deaths and is the most common source of childhood tumors outside of brain cancer. The disease develops in early nerve tissue, usually in and around the adrenal glands, and typically affects children under age five. High-risk cases have a five-year survival rate of just 50%.
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare but aggressive childhood leukemia. While hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is curative for some patients, approximately half of all patients see their leukemia return following a transplant.