Medical researchers identify long-term impacts of pediatric cancer treatments

New research has identified how chemotherapy treatments for childhood cancers can cause long-term damage to healthy tissue. A study led by the Wellcome Sanger Institute found that platinum-based drugs, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, leave a genetic signature on the liver. Using NanoSeq genome sequencing on liver tissue from transplant patients, researchers discovered that the healthy liver cells of children treated for hepatoblastoma exhibited mutation levels similar to those found in adult livers, effectively aging the tissue prematurely.

In a separate development, scientists at Lund University have uncovered a link between stem cell molecules and aggressive childhood brain tumors. Researchers found that the molecule UM171, used to expand blood stem cells, triggers a cellular breakdown in the CoREST protein structure. This mechanism mirrors the effect of genetic mutations in the KBTBD4 gene, which is present in certain aggressive pediatric brain tumors like medulloblastomas. This discovery may allow researchers to repurpose existing drugs for potential cancer treatments.