Antitumor activity of nifurtimox observed in a patient with neuroblastoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Chemotherapy-resistant neuroblastoma is a difficult disease to treat with poor survival.

OBSERVATIONS:

We treated a patient with neuroblastoma who had progressed on conventional chemotherapy. This 5-year-old girl with chemotherapy-resistant neuroblastoma developed Chagas disease at the start of salvage chemotherapy for which she was also started on nifurtimox. The neuroblastoma response to these treatments resulted in clinical remission. In vitro, treatment of a neuroblastoma cell line with nifurtimox resulted in decreased cell viability whereas no effect was seen on an endothelial cell line.

CONCLUSIONS:

Nifurtimox shows promise as a potential new treatment for neuroblastoma and warrants further testing.

• Authors: Giselle L Saulnier Sholler, Satyan Kalkunte, Carla Greenlaw, Kathleen McCarten, Edwin Forman
• Journal: Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology (J Pediatr Hematol Oncol) Vol. 28 Issue 10 Pg. 693-5 (Oct 2006) ISSN: 1077-4114 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17023833 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Topotecan
• Cyclophosphamide
• Nifurtimox

Topics

• Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Chagas Disease (complications, diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Child, Preschool
• Cyclophosphamide (administration & dosage)
• Disease Progression
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Female
• Humans
• Neuroblastoma (complications, diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Nifurtimox (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Recurrence
• Remission Induction
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed (methods)
• Topotecan (administration & dosage)
• Treatment Outcome