The Childhood Cancer Blog
The Childhood Cancer Blog
12-year neuroblastoma survivor Lucy.
Dr. Janice Withycombe, an ALSF-funded research nurse at Clemson University and Prisma Health, believes that the long-term side effects of pediatric cancer treatment can best be understood not by talking to the parents of a child, but by talking to the child directly to hear their experience.
Childhood cancer treatments — especially chemotherapy, radiation and surgery — come with a myriad of immediate, short-term and lifelong side effects. Side effects during treatment can make the harsh months of... Read More
Chemotherapy has long been a part of the frontline treatment plan for kids battling high-risk neuroblastoma. But when neuroblastoma becomes chemotherapy resistant, doctors are left with a dwindling list of options for children, who are desperate for cures.
For these children, it is critical that researchers work to understand what causes this chemotherapy resistance and then find a therapy that works. One Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) researcher, Dr. Patrick Reynolds, made a discovery that could be a game changer.
Using cancer tumor models and cell lines... Read More
Fusion proteins have been identified as major drivers of many childhood cancers. Fusion proteins arise when a piece of chromosome breaks off and combines with another chromosome. Chromosomal rearrangements such as this can form new genes, fusion genes, that when expressed produce a fusion protein. Sometimes these fusion proteins lead to cancer by reprogramming activities in the cell that cause uncontrolled growth of cells.
You might be wondering, if fusion oncoproteins can lead to cancer, why can’t we simply target them with a drug? Many of the fusion oncoproteins in childhood... Read More
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