Translational advancement of immunotherapeutics against pediatric central nervous system tumors

Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and remain the leading cause of death amongst childhood cancer patients. Despite the intensity of standard cytotoxic regimens, many patients with high-grade tumors still experience relapse, at which time they have limited curative options. Even the survivors of childhood CNS tumors are often left with lifelong complications that negatively impact their quality of life. Immunotherapy holds the promise of tailored therapies that can improve outcomes and inflict fewer side effects. Early successes across against leukemia and some solid tumors have supported this promise, but this is only the infancy of targeted immunotherapies against pediatric CNS tumors. While this is a new, blossoming field, a robust and coordinated preclinical environment has spurred a spectrum of innovative clinical trials that serve as the ground floor for these new technologies. Here, we will review the current state of cellular therapy, immune checkpoint inhibition, cancer vaccines, and oncolytic viral therapy for children with CNS tumors.