The Child Health Research Institute’s (CHRI) Pediatric Cancer Research Group (PCRG) hosted two events in August dedicated to advancing pediatric cancer and brain tumor research. The events brought together clinicians, scientists and interdisciplinary stakeholders to address critical gaps in knowledge and collaborative care.
“The PCRG came from the humblest origins of having no money, no studies and, literally, no child cancer researchers,” Don Coulter, MD, PCRG director, said. “To see what it has grown to now is a testament to the power of what’s possible through connection and collaboration.”
On Aug. 18, the Brain Tumor Working Group – co-chaired by Sidharth Mahapatra, MD, PhD, associate professor, UNMC Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Biology, and Nicole Shonka, MD, chief, UNMC Division of Medical Oncology and a co-leader of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center Translational Cancer Research Program – hosted the Adult and Pediatric Brain Tumors Summit. Dr. Mahapatra also is a member of the NCI-designated Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center.
The focus of the summit was to recognize molecularly-driven tumor categorization as a more relevant way to think about tumors of the central nervous system, with an acknowledgement that treatment regimens must incorporate the developmental age of the patient.
On Aug. 19, the PCRG Symposium convened a broad range of stakeholders – researchers, clinical providers, patient and family advocacy groups, environmental health scientists and representatives from agriculture organizations – for a structured forum to identify research priorities and opportunities for collaborative investigation.
The symposium opened with a panel discussion on pediatric research advocacy, moderated by Dr. Coulter and featuring Chanda Chacón, president and chief executive officer, Children’s Nebraska; Chris Kratochvil, MD, vice chancellor for external relations, UNMC; and Nebraska State Senator Ashlei Spivey.
The agenda featured a keynote address from Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD, executive director of CHRI , along with other presenters highlighting a wide range of research projects, including:
- Reducing claustrophobia-related anxiety in patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Advancing pediatric cancer drug development efforts within the PCRG
- Analyzing the financial hardships affecting pediatric cancer caregivers
Together, these projects reflected the collaborative spirit and expanding reach of the group’s work on behalf of children and families.