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Background: Survival of children with cancer has markedly improved over recent decades, largely due to intensified treatment regimes. The intensive treatment may, however, result in fatal complications. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed temporal variation in the incidence of treatment-related death and associated risk factors among children diagnosed with cancer in Denmark during 2001–2021. Method: Among all children diagnosed with first incident cancer before age 15 years recorded in the Danish Childhood Cancer Register (n = 3,255), we estimated cumulative incidence of treatment-related death (death in the absence of progressive cancer) within 5 years from diagnosis using Aalen–Johansen estimators and assessed associated risk factors using Cox regression. Results: Among all 3,255 children with cancer, 93 (20% of all 459 deaths) died from treatment. Of these treatment-related deaths, 39 (42%) occurred within 3 months of diagnosis. The 5-year cumulative incidences of treatment-related death were 3.3% during 2001–2010 and 2.5% during 2011–2021 (p = 0.20). During 2011–2021, treatment-related deaths accounted for more than half of all deaths among children with haematological cancers. Risk factors varied according to cancer group and included female sex, age below 1 year at diagnosis, disease relapse, stem cell transplantation, central nervous system involvement, and metastasis at diagnosis. Interpretation: Despite increasing treatment intensities, the incidence of treatment-related death has remained stable during the past 20 years in Denmark. Still, clinical attention is warranted to prevent treatment-related deaths, particularly among children with haematological cancers. Patient characteristics associated with increased treatment-related death risk support patient-specific treatment approaches to avoid these fatalities., BACKGROUND: Survival of children with cancer has markedly improved over recent decades, largely due to intensified treatment regimes. The intensive treatment may, however, result in fatal complications. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed temporal variation in the incidence of treatment-related death and associated risk factors among children diagnosed with cancer in Denmark during 2001-2021. METHOD: Among all children diagnosed with first incident cancer before age 15 years recorded in the Danish Childhood Cancer Register (n = 3,255), we estimated cumulative incidence of treatment-related death (death in the absence of progressive cancer) within 5 years from diagnosis using Aalen-Johansen estimators and assessed associated risk factors using Cox regression. RESULTS: Among all 3,255 children with cancer, 93 (20% of all 459 deaths) died from treatment. Of these treatment-related deaths, 39 (42%) occurred within 3 months of diagnosis. The 5-year cumulative incidences of treatment-related death were 3.3% during 2001-2010 and 2.5% during 2011-2021 (p = 0.20). During 2011-2021, treatment-related deaths accounted for more than half of all deaths among children with haematological cancers. Risk factors varied according to cancer group and included female sex, age below 1 year at diagnosis, disease relapse, stem cell transplantation, central nervous system involvement, and metastasis at diagnosis. INTERPRETATION: Despite increasing treatment intensities, the incidence of treatment-related death has remained stable during the past 20 years in Denmark. Still, clinical attention is warranted to prevent treatment-related deaths, particularly among children with haematological cancers. Patient characteristics associated with increased treatment-related death risk support patient-specific treatment approaches to avoid these fatalities.

Purpose: Docetaxel is extensively metabolized by CYP3A4 in the liver but mechanisms by which the drug is taken up into hepatocytes remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that (i) liver uptake of docetaxel is mediated by the polymorphic solute carriers OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 and (ii) inherited genetic defects in this process may impair systemic drug elimination. Experimental Design: Transport of docetaxel was studied in vitro using various cell lines stably transfected with OATP1B1*1A (wild-type), OATP1B1*5 [c.521T>C (V174A); rs4149056], OATP1B3, or the mouse transporter Oatp1b2. Docetaxel clearance was evaluated in wild-type and Oatp1b2-knockout mice as well as in two cohorts of patients with multiple variant transporter genotypes (n = 213). Results: Docetaxel was found to be a substrate for OATP1B1, OATP1B3, and Oatp1b2 but was not transported by OATP1B1*5. Deficiency of Oatp1b2 in mice was associated with an 18-fold decrease in docetaxel clearance (P = 0.0099), which was unrelated to changes in intrinsic metabolic capacity in mouse liver microsomes. In patients, however, none of the studied common reduced function variants in OATP1B1 or OATP1B3 were associated with docetaxel clearance (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The existence of at least two potentially redundant uptake transporters in the human liver with similar affinity for docetaxel supports the possibility that functional defects in both of these proteins may be required to confer substantially altered disposition phenotypes. In view of the established exposure-toxicity relationships for docetaxel, we suggest that caution is warranted if docetaxel has to be administered together with agents that potently inhibit both OATP1B1 and OATP1B3.