About this study
In this study, researchers will test a new way to give the chemotherapy medicine vincristine to infants and young children with cancer. Vincristine slows or stops the growth of cancer cells. It has been used for many years to treat cancer. The dose of most cancer drugs is based on a patient’s height and weight. But that method cannot be used for infants and young children because they vary in size as they grow. Their bodies also process and use drugs differently. So, infants and young children may get more side effects at the same dose than older children.
Researchers want to find out if giving vincristine based on a new dosing method for infants and children works as well as the standard method used for older children. What we learn will help us find the right dose of vincristine to treat a young child’s cancer and reduce side effects.
The vincristine dose for patients in this study may change over time. Staff will take small blood samples to measure each patient’s vincristine levels. We will compare these levels to those of older children treated with standard dosing. This will show how the new way of dosing affects blood levels of vincristine in infants and young children.
We will also do genetic tests on the blood samples to look for changes in a child’s genes (DNA). Some of these changes may affect how their body uses vincristine.
Eligibility overview
- Up to 12 years old
- Newly diagnosed or relapsed cancer treated with vincristine
- Have a central venous catheter (PICC, port, Broviac)