Advancing preclinical biology for Ewing Sarcoma: an international effort.

Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is an aggressive bone and soft tissue cancer affecting adolescents and young adults. In vitro and in vivo models of EwS have been instrumental in advancing our understanding of EwS biology and essential in evaluating potential therapies, particularly for metastatic or relapsed disease where effective treatment options remain limited. Through an international collaborative effort between the Children's Oncology Group (COG) Bone Tumor Committee and the Euro Ewing Consortium (EEC), we review the current landscape of preclinical modeling used in EwS research encompassing both in vitro (cell lines and tumor organoids) and in vivo (mouse and non-mammalian xenografts) model systems.

Anti-tumor activity of trastuzumab deruxtecan in pediatric solid tumors with variable HER2 expression.

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is a HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with efficacy across adult cancers exhibiting variable HER2 expression. Prior studies demonstrating HER2 expression in osteosarcoma (OS) motivated a clinical trial of T-DXd in pediatric and adolescent/young adults with OS but was terminated early for inactivity. We evaluated the activity of T-DXd using OS patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and found a 22% objective response rate despite no detectable HER2 expression across PDXs tested.

The impact of teacher professional development on the grade 3 reading performance of students with characteristics of dyslexia.

Using statewide archival data, this study identified third graders meeting the state's criteria for having characteristics of dyslexia and their core reading teachers of record. Analyses explored whether teachers' participation in various amounts of state-provided knowledge training with/out participation in ongoing coaching was associated with their identified students' (a) growth on a universal reading screener (URS) or (b) scores on summative state test performance. Students tended to have slower URS growth when their teachers participated in PD beyond the state-required minimum, and growth was significantly slower when teachers were coached on implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).

New Approaches to Investigate Novel Agents in Ewing Sarcoma: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group Bone Tumor Committee.

Outcomes for relapsed Ewing sarcoma remain consistently poor. Continued efforts to consider creative new approaches for the treatment of relapsed Ewing sarcoma are needed. The Children's Oncology Group Bone Tumor Committee convened a New Strategies for Ewing Sarcoma Task Force to systematically evaluate agents for inclusion in future Phase II or III clinical trials for relapsed Ewing sarcoma.