Invited Commentary on Vasudevan, et al: Outcomes of children with well differentiated fetal hepatoblastoma treated with surgery only: Report from Children's Oncology Group Trial, AHEP0731

Abstract

Advances in hepatoblastoma treatment have improved survival but have been accompanied by the chronic toxicities of pediatric cancer therapy. Cisplatin is the cornerstone of chemotherapy treatment for hepatoblastoma. The most frequent long-term complication of hepatoblastoma treatment is cisplatin-related ototoxicity. Among children who receive cisplatin, 25-90% will exhibit measurable hearing loss, impacting language and social development [1]. Therefore, efforts to identify children eligible for reduction or elimination of cisplatin-based chemotherapy while maintaining excellent oncologic outcomes are paramount in reducing the long-term toxicities of hepatoblastoma cancer treatment.