Stem Cells Therapy Improved Child Brain Cancer Outcome, But Not All Experts Agrees
U.S. researchers have recently reported that in children with brain tumors called medulloblastomas, a highly targeted treatment that relies on the patient’s own stem cells led to improved outcomes: from 30-40% chance of surviving to five years to 70-80%.
Chemotherapy usually lasts for 12 months. In this new treatment regimen, radiation therapy is tailored to the severity of the disease and is then followed by a shorter course of chemotherapy. Stem cells are taken from a child (the patient) before chemotherapy and then implanted back after each round of chemotherapy, making the shorter course possible because the process essentially allowed the child’s body to recover from the damage caused by chemotherapy before the next round begins.
According to Dr. Amar Gajjar of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and lead researcher of the study:
“Our research focused on understanding the biology of medulloblastoma. We now need to develop a biological system of staging that works in conjunction with the current clinical staging system, to further refine treatment for this disease.
This approach should be feasible in most pediatric oncology units at academic medical centers, but meticulous staging and careful attention to detail during radiotherapy planning and treatment are essential to obtaining similar outcomes.
However, other experts do not agree.
This study appeared in the September 7 online edition of The Lancet Oncology.
Read the full report from Health Day and the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital press release.
Tags: chemotherapy, child-brain-cancer, medulloblastomas, stem-cellsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: general commentary, on brain cancer
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