Leading expert in pediatric oncology, Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, explains the future of child leukemia treatment and his conviction that the majority of children with cancer will be cured within the next few decades. He highlights the transformative potential of immunotherapy and targeted therapies, citing historical successes like the cure for chronic myeloid leukemia with a simple pill and acute promyelocytic leukemia without traditional chemotherapy as proof that today's incurable brain tumors will one day be treatable.
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Future of Pediatric Leukemia Treatment: Cures for All Children with Cancer
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- Future of Pediatric Cancer Cures
- Brain Tumors Treatment Future
- Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cure
- Immunotherapy vs. Chemotherapy
- Targeted Therapies and Side Effects
- Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Treatment
- An Exciting Time for Pediatric Oncology
Future of Pediatric Cancer Cures
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, a top pediatric oncologist, presents a profoundly optimistic vision for the future of child cancer treatment. He strongly believes that over the next 20 to 30 years, the majority of children diagnosed with cancer will be cured. This prediction is based on the rapid and exciting pace of pediatric cancer research and the development of novel therapies.
Brain Tumors Treatment Future
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, identifies brain tumors as the main challenge in pediatric oncology today. He acknowledges that certain types are currently completely lethal. However, he confidently states that these same incurable brain tumors will be cured in the coming decades. Dr. Izraeli counters any skepticism by pointing to historical precedents in leukemia treatment, where diseases once thought untreatable are now routinely cured.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cure
A personal experience solidified Dr. Izraeli's dedication to pediatric oncology. He recalls a five-year-old patient from 25 years ago who died from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This memory starkly contrasts with modern CML treatment. Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, explains that today, a child with the same leukemia is cured with just a pill, eliminating the need for a bone marrow transplant. This incredible advancement serves as a powerful example of progress.
Immunotherapy vs. Chemotherapy
Looking ahead, Dr. Izraeli predicts that cancer immunotherapy will eventually replace chemotherapy for many patients. He believes immunotherapy will be especially successful in treating childhood leukemia. While he is a strong proponent of its potential, Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, offers a nuanced view, suggesting immunotherapy may have a more significant role in adult cancers than in other types of childhood cancers due to biological differences.
Targeted Therapies and Side Effects
The future of pediatric cancer treatment lies in developing better and more precise therapies. Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, emphasizes that the goal is to cure cancer with fewer side effects. This means a shift towards highly targeted treatments that attack cancer cells specifically while sparing healthy tissues, thereby improving the long-term quality of life for childhood cancer survivors.
Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Treatment
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD, provides another groundbreaking example of moving beyond chemotherapy. He details how acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is now cured without traditional chemo. Instead, treatment involves high-dose all-trans retinoic acid, a derivative of vitamin A, and arsenic trioxide. This combination therapy is a landmark achievement in precision medicine, proving that non-chemotherapy approaches can be radically effective.
An Exciting Time for Pediatric Oncology
In his conversation with Dr. Anton Titov, MD, Dr. Izraeli’s enthusiasm is palpable. He concludes that this is a very exciting time for pediatric cancer research and treatment. The convergence of scientific understanding, historical successes, and emerging technologies like immunotherapy and targeted therapy fuels the conviction that a future where every child survives cancer is an achievable reality.
Full Transcript
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: What is the future in pediatric cancer treatments?
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD: This is a very exciting time for pediatric cancer research and treatment! A top child oncologist shares his vision that all kids with cancer will be cured in our lifetime.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: What is the future of pediatric leukemia treatment? How does precision medicine help in cancer treatment in children?
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD: What kind of breakthroughs in leukemia treatment could we expect in the next 5 to 15 years? I very strongly believe that over the next 20 or maybe 30 years, every child with cancer will be cured.
Of course, when we say "every", you need to be lucky. I mean the majority of children with cancer will be cured. This is one important expectation.
I want to give an example of brain tumors. Brain tumors are our main problem now in pediatric cancer. There are some brain tumors that are completely lethal now. They will be cured in 20 to 30 years.
Maybe you will tell me it's a fantasy. But I tell you, there were leukemias that many people never believed would be cured.
I will tell you about a child cancer patient. She is one reason I went into pediatric cancer treatment. 25 years ago in this oncology department, I met a child. I think she was 5 years old. She had a disease called chronic myeloid leukemia, CML. She died.
Today, a child with the same leukemia will be cured with just a pill. There is not even a need for a bone marrow transplant.
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Isn't that incredible?!
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD: I think we will cure all child brain tumors and leukemia. I believe that cancer immunotherapy will replace chemotherapy. Immunotherapy will be especially successful against leukemia.
Again, you could say it's a fantasy. But we have such an example of cancer treatment success. There is a particular type of leukemia. It is acute promyelocytic leukemia.
Today we cure it without chemotherapy. We cure this leukemia with the vitamin, all-trans retinoic acid, vitamin A. We also use the poison to cure leukemia. It is arsenic. But we treat promyelocytic leukemia without chemotherapy.
I believe that cancer immunotherapy will have a very important role in leukemia treatment. I'm not sure that cancer immunotherapy will have such an important role in other childhood cancers. Because they are very different from adult cancer.
I think cancer immunotherapy is most important for adult cancer. But I think that we will have better cancer therapies. We have more targeted therapies that will cure cancer with fewer side effects.
Dr. Shai Izraeli, MD: This is a very exciting time for pediatric cancer research and treatment!
Dr. Anton Titov, MD: Certainly!