There are some childhood cancers that have experienced few treatment advances in the past decades.
The lack of effective treatment options can be a nightmare for patients and their families.
The slow pace of translation for promising research from the laboratory to the clinic has created a “pre-clinical gap” meaning that basic scientific research is not reaching children in the clinic.
There are some researchers that are seeking to be the bridge and accelerate the pace of the research and the initiation of clinical trials.
The Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute is a unique independent non-profit organization focused on the ‘preclinical gap’ in childhood cancer research.
Their mission is to bridge scientific discovery and the initiation of clinical trials.
One of the cancers that require urgently more research and treatment options is Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and brutal tumor of the midbrain. Decades of clinical trials have shown that DIPG tumors are insensitive to traditional chemotherapy.
Dr. Noah Berlow, is a post-doctoral fellow at The Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute (cc-TDI, cc-TDI.org) that identified the IL13RA2 gene as a specific target for DIPG cells which is absent in normal brain cells.
This discovery opens new avenues to attempt and treat DIPG. This study was recently published in PLOS ONE.
This project took its inspiration and it was done thanks to the support from The Lyla Nsouli Foundation For Children’s Brain Cancer Research and With Purpose, both projects founded by childhood cancer parents.
A strong reminder that as parents we CAN make a difference and find a cure for cancer if we join our forces.
To read more about it click here.
Carcinoid NETs Health Storylines is an application developed in partnership with the Carcinoid Cancer Foundation.
It’s completely free and makes it easy to record your symptoms, nutritional concerns (record food reactions), moods, medication reminder, and more.
The app is available in 7 countries: the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom*.
What is a health storyline?
Keeping track of your child’s medical care can be really helpful for you and your doctor.
Part of an integrative oncological treatment is to take care of all aspect of our children; music is a powerful expression tool that reduces anxiety, depression, and pain, it can also help the children to cope better with hospitalizations.
In Music therapy, the intention is to promote health by using music experiences including instrument play, movement, singing, etc.
In this video Ryan Judd from The Rhythm Tree shares with us, an interview with Catherine,
mother of Zoe who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and after the surgery music therapy helped her a lot to work out with her emotions.
For Ryan, Music therapy is honoring the child spirit and improving the quality of life.
Consider complementary methods in this road since it can bring a lot of benefits in the quality of life of a child.
The child is radioactive after the infusion so you cannot be with him for about one week.
If you have a little child that doesn’t know how to keep himself busy (playing by himself or using an iPad for example) and you are about to do an MIBG therapy, teach him how to do so.
It will help pass the time during the week long isolation from his parents.
