Is Wilms tumor a candidate neoplasia for treatment with WNT/β-catenin pathway modulators? – A report from the Renal Tumors Biology-driven drug development workshop

摘要

The European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents (ENCCA) consortium organized a workshop in Rome, in June 2012, on “Renal Tumor Biology Driven Drug Development” to discuss the current knowledge in pediatric renal cancers and to recommend directions for further research. Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common renal tumor of childhood and represents a success of pediatric oncology, with cure rates of over 85% of cases. However, a substantial minority (~25%) responds poorly to current therapies and requires ‘high risk’ treatment or relapse. Moreover, the successfully treated majority are vulnerable to the late effects of treatment, with nearly one quarter reporting severe chronic health conditions by 25 years of follow up. Main purposes of this meeting were: to advance our understanding on the molecular drivers in WT, their heterogeneity and interdependencies; to provide updates on the clinic-pathologic associations with biomarkers; to identify eligible populations for targeted drugs; and to model opportunities to use preclinical model systems and prioritize targeted agents for early phase clinical trials. At least three different pathways are involved in WT; this review represents the outcome of the workshop discussion on the WNT/β-catenin pathway in Wilms tumorigenesis.