Y-mAbs is currently studying a treatment for neuroblastoma. See the trial details here.
Neuroblastoma is a rare type of cancer that usually begins in very early nerve cells, before birth. This type of cancer starts in the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling involuntary bodily functions such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion, and usually leads to tumors in the abdomen, as well as the spine, chest, neck, or pelvis.
Neuroblastomas vary in their presentation and how they affect children. Some neuroblastomas grow quickly, while others advance at a slow pace. Children with neuroblastomas are classified by risk groups according to their likelihood of being cured. Low-risk children can often be cured with a limited strategy, whereas high-risk children need more intensive treatment to improve their chance of being cured. An additional challenge that is associated with neuroblastoma is that as treatment extends survival, some people may go on to develop central nervous system leptomeningeal disease (CNS/LM).
Treatment for neuroblastomas depends on whether the disease is low- or high-risk and whether it is the first-time occurrence or a relapse. Chemotherapy, radiation treatment, autologous stem cell transplants, and surgery are often used, predominantly in high-risk patients. However, potential antibody treatments for neuroblastomas are currently being researched that may expand treatment possibilities in the future.
