Brigitte Widemann Named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee

Author: NIH, National Cancer Institute
Published On: 04/13/2021

Brigitte C. Widemann, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Branch, has been named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee by the Clinical Research Forum and has received a Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Award for her study “Selumetinib in Children with Inoperable Plexiform Neurofibromas.” The Distinguished Clinical Research Achievement Awards are presented to the top two of the 10 studies that show creativity, innovation, or a novel approach that demonstrates an immediate impact on the health and well-being of patients.

Plexiform neurofibromas are tumors that grow along nerves and occur in approximately 50 percent of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that affects one in 3000 individuals. These tumors are challenging to treat and can cause disfigurement, chronic pain, breathing difficulties and other symptoms depending on the tumor location. Until recently, there was no effective medical treatment for plexiform neurofibromas. Based on the findings from Widemann’s study, the Food and Drug Administration approved selumetinib for children two years and older with NF1 and symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas. Selumetnib provides the first approved medical therapy for these tumors.

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