Despite high-risk nature of stage 4 NB, long-term remission without autologous (A)BMT can be achieved with 3F8 treatment. Its side effects were short-lived and manageable. The potential benefits of 3F8 in consolidating remission warrant further investigations.

The crizotinib-resistant ALKF1174L mutation arises de novo in neuroblastoma (NB) and is acquired in ALK translocation-driven cancers, lending impetus to the development of novel anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors with different modes of action. The diaminopyrimidine TAE684 and its derivative ceritinib (LDK378), which are structurally distinct from crizotinib, are active against NB cells expressing ALKF1174L. Here we demonstrate acquired resistance to TAE684 and LDK378 in ALKF1174L-driven human NB cells that is linked to overexpression and activation of the AXL tyrosine kinase and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). AXL phosphorylation conferred TAE684 resistance to NB cells through upregulated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling. Inhibition of AXL partly rescued TAE684 resistance, resensitizing these cells to this compound. AXL activation in resistant cells was mediated through increased expression of the active form of its ligand, GAS6, that also served to stabilize the AXL protein. Although ectopic expression of AXL and TWIST2 individually in TAE684-sensitive parental cells led to the elevated expression of mesenchymal markers and invasive capacity, only AXL overexpression induced resistance to TAE684 as well. TAE684-resistant cells showed greater sensitivity to HSP90 inhibition than did their parental counterparts, with downregulation of AXL and AXL-mediated ERK signaling. Our studies indicate that aberrant AXL signaling and development of an EMT phenotype underlie resistance of ALKF1174L-driven NB cells to TAE684 and its derivatives. We suggest that the combination of ALK and AXL or HSP90 inhibitors be considered to delay the emergence of such resistance.

Except at diagnosis and relapse when gross disease is present, marrow sampling by histology has limited sensitivity. Current practice grossly underestimates the true prevalence of marrow disease.

Repetitive high-dose use of alkylating agents given with topoisomerase-II inhibitors is strongly leukemogenic, even with modest cumulative doses of each drug. This finding is notable for the following reasons: (1) it undermines predictions that limited use of high-dose chemotherapy might be minimally leukemogenic, and (2) it contrasts strikingly with the previously reported low risk of t-AML following treatment of pediatric solid tumors with chemotherapy lacking the alkylator dose-intensity and prominence of etoposide that are hallmarks of current regimens.

No abstract