Dr. Bagatell’s research is focused on the development and evaluation of new treatments for children with neuroblastoma. She has been integrally involved in several prospective clinical trials through the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), a cooperative group comprised of over 240 pediatric oncology centers. After chairing the COG Phase II trial of irinotecan and temozolomide in patients with relapsed neuroblastoma (ANBL0421), she serves as mentoring vice chair for a subsequent randomized Phase II trial evaluating the addition of targeted agents to the irinotecan/temozolomide backbone (ANBL1221). The exciting findings from this study were recently published in Lancet Oncology.

During this time Dr. Bagatell also chaired the high-risk task force within the COG Neuroblastoma Committee, and was involved in two pilot studies for newly diagnosed patients (ANBL09P1, ANBL12P1). The results of these studies informed the development of the next large-scale Phase III randomized study for newly diagnosed patients with high-risk disease (ANBL1531). She serves as the chair of this trial, a five-arm study that will enroll up to 800 patients to address the most pressing therapeutic and translational questions in the field at the present time.

As vice chair of the COG Neuroblastoma Committee, Dr. Bagatell is involved in the development of additional trials, including a frontline study for patients with low and intermediate risk disease as well as studies for patients with minimal residual disease following stem cell transplantation, and for those with relapsed/refractory disease. Furthermore, she is integrally involved in translational studies accompanying these trials, with a goal of identifying biomarkers to guide future therapeutic decision-making.
 

BA, Brown University (American History), 1987

MD, University of Arizona, 1993

Fellowship, University of Arizona (Pediatric Hematology/Oncology), 1999

Solid Tumor Section Chief

Attending Physician

Associate Professor of Pediatrics