Source: Arakawa et al. (2021). Vaginal Transmission of Cancer from Mothers with Cervical Cancer to Infants. N Engl J Med, 384:42-50. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2030391
Summary: Two cases of pediatric lung cancer (in 23-month-old and 6-year-old boys) resulting from mother-to-infant transmission of uterine cervical tumors were incidentally detected during routine next-generation sequencing of paired samples of tumor and normal tissue. Spontaneous regression of some lesions in the first child and slow growth of the tumor mass in the second child suggested the existence of alloimmune responses against the transmitted tumors. Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy with nivolumab led to a strong regression of all remaining tumors in the first child.
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