UCSF

Improvements in outcome have been seen in children and adolescents with cancer. Nevertheless, challenges remain in trying to improve the outcomes for all children diagnosed with cancer, particularly in patients with metastatic disease or with cancers that are resistant or recur after standard treatment. Precision medicine trials using individualized tumor molecular profiling for selection of targeted therapies are ongoing in adult malignancies. Similar approaches are being applied to children and adolescents with cancer. This article describes how precision medicine is being applied to pediatric oncology and the unique challenges being faced with these efforts.