Children's Brain Treatment Boosted
February 26th 2008
Stepping up treatment for children with a deadly brain cancer can dramatically improve survival, British researchers reported today. During the research on the treatment of children with neuroblastoma, doctors halved the period between treatment with chemotherapy.
Conventionally it was 21 days but the study, reported today by Lancet Oncology, cut this to ten days.
They also increased dose levels by 80 per cent.
After five years, nearly a third of the children on the new treatment programme - some 30.2 per cent - were still alive compared with 18.2 per cent of those on standard treatment.
Some 262 children in six countries took part in the research.
About 90 children a year in Britain are diagnosed with neuroblastoma and the study concentrated on those with the highest risk form of the disease.
Researcher Professor Andy Pearson, of the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, London, said: "Our method of chemotherapy increases the survival rates for children with high risk
neuroblastoma and is already saving the lives of many children.
"Using a higher dose and having chemotherapy with shorter breaks between each treatment means that fewer children will die from the disease each year."
Kate Law, director of clinical trials at Cancer Research UK, said: "On the strength of the results of this trial, all children in Europe will receive a more effective treatment for this disease.
"Overall survival rates for children’s cancers have been rapidly improving, but it’s crucial we support trials like this that tackle the challenge of advanced cancer."
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