The Hereditary Basis of Childhood Cancer

This volume elaborates on the research and clinical implications of the hereditary and molecular basis of childhood cancers. The focus of the ‘disease-related’ chapters of the book is to integrate what is known about the molecular basis of that particular clinical entity (or group of related entities) with the clinical manifestations, to relate the relationship of the molecular oncologic pathways with relevant developmental or non-human species biology in order to better understand the complexity of these systems. The resulting clinical implications of understanding this biology are elaborated on. Chapters 13-16 discuss the broader psychosocial, ethical and genetic counseling issues that arise and that are so critical to translating the knowledge gained from advances in molecular genetics into the clinic. Chapter 12 in particular provides a unique perspective of the application of this knowledge in less-developed nations where ‘modern’ technologies may not be readily available, butwhere the clinical manifestations of these disorders are prevalent.

Dr. Malkin is Professor of Pediatrics and Medical Biophysics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. He holds the CIBC Children’s Foundation Chair in Child Health Research, is a Senior Staff Oncologist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Director of the Cancer Genetics program, and a Senior Scientist in the Genetics and Genome Biology Program at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Malkin is the Lead of the SickKids Precision Child Health initiative. He is co-Director of the SickKids Cancer Sequencing (KiCS) program which integrates and translates next generation sequencing into clinical care of children with cancer, and Director of the pan-Canadian multi-institutional PRecision Oncology For Young peopLE (PROFYLE) initiative which is establishing a pipeline to incorporate next generation sequencing into novel clinical trials (‘precision oncology’) for children and young adults with hard-to-treat cancers across Canada. Dr. Malkin’s research program focuses ongenetic and genomic mechanisms of childhood cancer susceptibility which he has explored particularly in the context of TP53 and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Recently, his work has addressed the application of genomics to develop rational clinical surveillance and treatment guidelines for children and adults at genetic ‘high risk’ for cancer. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and has received several awards recognizing his dedication to clinical care, advocacy, research, medical education and mentorship.