NTRK fusion testing and treatment in pediatric sarcoma

Dr. Laetsch is a paediatric oncologist and Associate Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, chair of the Rare Tumours Committee for the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), and director of the Developmental Therapeutics and Very Rare Malignant Tumours Programs and leads the Precision Medicine for High-Risk Cancer Frontier Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).  He received his MD degree from the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Laetsch completed his paediatrics residency at the University of Colorado/Children’s Hospital Colorado and fellowship training in paediatric haematology/oncology at CHOP.

Dr. Laetsch leads clinical and translational research evaluating novel targeted and immunotherapies for patients with high-risk and often ultra-rare cancers. He has been a leader in the development of TRK and RET inhibitors for children with TRK- and RET-fusion cancers and serves as the global paediatric PI for several clinical trials of TRK inhibitors and the global lead investigator for the paediatric phase 1/2 selpercatinib trial. He developed and chairs COG ADVL1823, in which we are evaluating the TRK inhibitor larotrectinib as the initial therapy for children with TRK fusion solid tumours, the first histology-agnostic frontline study conducted within COG.