IMPROVING PROGNOSIS

New research leads to more tailored treatment for a common childhood brain cancer.

A scientific breakthrough by researchers from Newcastle University has enabled experts to predict relapse in a common childhood cancer, medulloblastoma, allowing doctors to tailor treatment for each individual child and improve prognosis. Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumour in children and relapse following initial treatment – surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy – has a grave prognosis. The Newcastle research identifies which patients are most at risk of continuing problems with the disease and provides the ability to fine-tune treatment and surveillance to improve the child’s prognosis. Professor Steve Clifford, director of Newcastle University’s Centre for Cancer, who led the research, says the findings can be applied immediately in medical clinics to help disease monitoring, advance treatment decisions and improve quality of life after relapse.