Opening General Session: More Cure, Less Side Effects: A Potential Role for Preclinical Studies

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Progress in the development of more targeted cancer therapies that have extended the lives of adult patients has not been replicated in the treatment of pediatric cancers where children are still treated with long lists of traditional cytotoxic drugs. Though cures are more common, they are not without significant short and long-term health consequences.

The preclinical animal studies we do to support the development of safe and effective medicines – particularly for cancer- aren’t as predictive as they could be for either their toxic liabilities or clinical efficacy.

In both of these scenarios, there are ethical dilemmas. We’re not strictly adhering to the “first, do no harm” principle of medicine with many pediatric cancer therapies and our animal studies aren’t always supporting our rationalization for doing them. We can do better.

This discussion will share the experiences of a parent of a cancer survivor who is also a toxicologist and drug developer, and a comparative pathologist who is committed to improving the clinical effectiveness of our preclinical studies. The discussion will aim to challenge the existing state and explore actions that could define a future with more humane therapies and where more children survive their primary disease without the specter of long-term health consequences.