DF/HCC Program Affiliation

Biostatistics and Computational Biology

Research Abstract

Dr. London has three primary research interests: neuroblastoma, prognostic stratification, and design of clinical trials. Her findings on the effect of age on neuroblastoma outcome resulted in a reduction of therapy for patients 12-18 months old. In the consensus efforts of the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group (INRG), she is the chair the Statistics Committee. Dr. London and her committee assembled the largest neuroblastoma database in the world (n=11,500). For prognostic stratification of this database, she performed survival tree regression, whereby 16 pre-treatment groups were determined, each statistically and/or clinically unique, accepted worldwide as building blocks for future trials. In this project, Dr. London eliminated the redundancy of histopathologic classification and age in risk stratification. As the Lead Statistician for the Neuroblastoma Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, Dr. London’s collaborative neuroblastoma research includes: a) therapy reduction for low-risk and intermediate-risk neuroblastoma; b) demonstrating no role for purging in high-risk neuroblastoma; and, c) demonstrating a 20% improvement in 2-year event-free survival for high-risk neuroblastoma patients treated post-transplant with cytokines and chimeric 14.18 antibody (immunotherapy).

Dr. London has performed statistical methodological research in the design of clinical trials. She developed new methods for stratified Phase II designs, now widely used in multi-center trials for small, heterogeneous cohorts. Dr. London performed a novel application of casual inference methodology in a Phase II trial in order to improve the ability to interpret long-term outcome despite confounding by off-protocol therapy.

Publications

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