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The European Network for Cancer Research in Children and Adolescents (ENCCA) provides an interaction platform for stakeholders in research and care of children with cancer. Among ENCCA objectives is the establishment of biology-based prioritization mechanisms for the selection of innovative targets, drugs, and prognostic markers for validation in clinical trials. Specifically for sarcomas, there is a burning need for novel treatment options, since current chemotherapeutic treatment protocols have met their limits. This is most obvious for metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES), where long term survival rates are still below 20%. Despite significant progress in our understanding of ES biology, clinical translation of promising laboratory results has not yet taken place due to fragmentation of research and lack of an institutionalized discussion forum. To fill this gap, ENCCA assembled 30 European expert scientists and five North American opinion leaders in December 2011 to exchange thoughts and discuss the state of the art in ES research and latest results from the bench, and to propose biological studies and novel promising therapeutics for the upcoming European EWING2008 and EWING2012 clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite advancements in precision medicine, many cancer patients globally, particularly those in resource-constrained environments, face significant challenges in accessing high-quality molecular testing and targeted therapies. The considerable heterogeneity in molecular testing highlights the urgent need to harmonize practices across Europe and beyond, establishing a more standardized and consistent approach in MP laboratories. Professionals, especially molecular pathologists, must move beyond traditional education to cope with this heterogeneity. This perspective addresses critical issues in molecular pathology (MP), such as limited access to high-quality molecular testing, leading to disparities in cancer treatment, and the consequences of inconsistent practices. Recognizing the necessity for a standardized framework for education to address these issues, educational programs play a pivotal role in updating professionals' skills to achieve standardization in MP. European experts from the Steering Committee, the Pathology Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists, and the European Society of Pathology have proposed creating a comprehensive Master's degree program called the "European Masters in Molecular Pathology" (EMMP). This program emerges as a strategic response to the demand for a specialized and standardized framework for education in MP, catering to professionals who concurrently work and study. The program's design aligns with evidence-based education methods, ensuring effective learning and engagement while integrating computational pathology to analyze complex molecular data, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and improve treatment outcomes. EMMP's structured curriculum, strategic partnerships, and regular updates underscore its significance in standardizing MP practices. Exploring future developments, this perspective delves into technology integration and interdisciplinary collaboration, anticipating ongoing advances and harmonization. Challenges and future directions in MP education are discussed, emphasizing the necessity for dynamic curriculum updates, seamless technology integration, and interdisciplinary cooperation. This perspective underscores EMMP's pivotal role in preparing pathologists for this dynamic field, advocating continuous advancements in education and training to uphold excellence in MP practices and maintain the highest patient care standards., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests M. Ilié: honoraria from AstraZeneca and MSD, and research funding from Amgen. A. Diepstra: research funding from Takeda. C. Eloy: advisory role for MSD, Leica, Diapath, Biocartis, Sakura, Mindpeak. F. Fend: research funding from Stemline; speaker honoraria from Stemline, EUSA Pharma. G. Hoefler: honoraria from AstraZeneca, Elsevier, MSD, Novartis, BioProducts. M. Hummel: honoraria for Novartis, AstraZeneca. E. Schuuring reports lectures for Bio-Rad, Seracare, Roche, Biocartis, Illumina, Lilly, Janssen Cilag (Johnson&Johnson), AstraZeneca, and Agena Bioscience; he is consultant in advisory boards for MSD/Merck, GSK, AstraZeneca, Astellas Pharma, Sysmex, Roche, Novartis, Bayer, BMS, Lilly, Amgen, Illumina, Agena Bioscience, Janssen Cilag (Johnson&Johnson), Sinnovisionlab, Diaceutics, CC Diagnostics; and received research grants from Biocartis, Invitae-ArcherDX, AstraZeneca, Agena Bio-science, BMS, Bio-Rad, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, CC Diagnostics, SNN/EFRO, and Abbott (all paid to UMCG account); and travel reimbursements from Bio-Rad, Abbott, Illumina, Agena Bioscience, Roche, IQNPath, and BioRAD. W. Timens: honororia to UMCG from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp Dohme. C. Benedikt Westphalen: has received honoraria from Amgen, Bayer, BMS, Chugai, Celgene, Falk, GSK, Janssen, Ipsen, MSD, Merck, Roche, Servier, SIRTeX, Taiho; served on advisory boards for Bayer, BMS, Celgene, Incyte, Janssen, Lily, MSD, Servier, Shire/Baxalta, Rafael Pharmaceuticals, RedHill, Roche, has received travel support by Bayer, Celgene, Janssen, RedHill, Roche, Servier, Taiho and research grants (institutional) from Roche; serves as faculty for European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), Deutsche Krebshilfe (DKH), and Arbeitsgemeinschaft internistische Onkologie (AIO), is a member of the EU Commission expert group: mission board for cancer; is a member of the forum #Zukunftsstrategie of the German government. P. Hofman: advisory role for: Sanofi, Amgen, Roche, Abbvie, BMS, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Janssen, Pierre Fabre, ThermoFisher Scientific, Qiagen, Diaceutics, Novartis, Biodena, Biocartis, Eli Lilly; honoraria from: Sanofi, Amgen, Roche, BMS, AstraZeneca, Abbvie, Qiagen, Pfizer, Janssen, Pierre Fabre, ThermoFisher Scientific, Biodena, Diaceutics, Biocartis, Daiichi-Sankyo, Eli Lilly, Bayer, Novartis, Bayer; grant/research funding from: Amgen, Thermo-Fisher Scientific, Biodena, Roche. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Usage of cancer cell lines has repeatedly generated conflicting results provoked by differences among subclones or contamination with mycoplasm or other immortal mammalian cells. To overcome these limitations, we decided within the EuroBoNeT consortium to characterize a common set of cell lines including osteosarcomas (OS), Ewing sarcomas (ES), and chondrosarcomas (CS). DNA fingerprinting was used to guarantee the identity of all of the cell lines and to distinguish subclones of osteosarcoma cell line HOS. Screening for homozygous loss of 38 tumor suppressor genes by MLPA revealed deletion of CDKN2A as the most common event (15/36), strictly associated with absence of the CDKN2A (p16) protein. Ten cell lines showed missense mutations of the TP53 gene while another set of nine cell lines showed mutations resulting in truncation of the TP53 protein. Cells harboring missense mutations expressed high levels of nuclear TP53, while cell lines with nonsense mutations showed weak/absent staining for TP53. TP53(wt) cell lines usually expressed the protein in 2-10% of the cells. However, seven TP53(wt) osteosarcomas were negative for both mRNA and protein expression. Our analyses shed light on the correlation between immunohistochemical and genetic data for CDKN2A and TP53, and confirm the importance of these signaling pathways. The characterization of a substantial number of cell lines represents an important step to supply research groups with proven models for further advanced studies on tumor biology and may help to make results from different laboratories more comparable.