Radioactive cocktail shows promise against tough childhood cancer

NCT ID NCT00253435

Completed Disease control Sponsor: New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy Consortium Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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.

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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.

NEUROBLASTOMA

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

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