Radioactive cocktail shows promise against tough childhood cancer

NCT ID NCT00253435

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This phase 2 trial tested a combination of a radioactive drug (MIBG), intensive chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant in 50 children with relapsed or hard-to-treat neuroblastoma. The goal was to see if this approach could shrink tumors and improve survival. The treatment aims to deliver radiation directly to cancer cells while using high-dose chemo to kill remaining cells, followed by a stem cell rescue to restore blood cell production.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

Iodine I 131 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) plus carboplatin, etoposide, melphalan, and radiation

What this could lead to

If it works, this could offer a more effective treatment option for children with hard-to-treat neuroblastoma, potentially improving response rates and survival.

What could go wrong

This is a small, early-phase trial (50 patients) with no control group, so results may not apply broadly. The treatment involves high-dose chemotherapy and radiation, which can cause severe side effects like infection and organ damage.

Disclaimer Read more

This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

neuroblastoma

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • AFLAC Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - Egleston Campus

    Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

  • C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at University of Michigan Medical Center

    Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-0286, United States

  • Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center - Seattle

    Seattle, Washington, 98105, United States

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-4318, United States

  • Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

    Los Angeles, California, 90027-0700, United States

  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229-3039, United States

  • Cook Children's Medical Center - Fort Worth

    Fort Worth, Texas, 76104, United States

  • Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • Hospital for Sick Children

    Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1X8, Canada

  • Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University Medical Center

    Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States

  • Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian

    New York, New York, 10032, United States

  • Texas Children's Cancer Center and Hematology Service at Texas Children's Hospital

    Houston, Texas, 77030-2399, United States

  • UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

    San Francisco, California, 94143, United States

  • University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital

    Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

  • University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Madison, Wisconsin, 53792-6164, United States