Sierra Rayn Chamblee. Diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma at 21 months old, battled for 11 months, lost the fight at 2 1/2 years old.
May God bless this family in this time of sorrow.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Angel: Sierra Rayn Chamblee
Sierra Rayn Chamblee. Diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma at 21 months old, battled for 11 months, lost the fight at 2 1/2 years old.
May God bless this family in this time of sorrow.
Hero: Noahs Story
Our world turned upside down on December 18, 2007. Noah was having spuratic side pain so we took him to the pediatrician and they said he had intestinal flu and if the pain continues bring him back, well the pain continued and he was then diagnosed with intussusception. He underwent a barium enama only to find a 4" tumor sitting above his right kidney. This tumor turned out to be Neuroblastoma cancer, which sprouted out of the right adrenal gland. His was diagnosed at stage 2b.
He underwent four rounds of low-dose chemo and had the tumor removed on April 7, 2008. It wasn't 100% removed and our home Oncologist reassured us that with Noah's histology and biology it wouldn't come back.
Noah had reoccurance on October 5, 2008. We are now in treatment with Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York. He had 3 high-dose rounds of chemo, radiation & surgery. Noah was NED (no evidence of disease) for 15 months and then relapsed in April of 2010. He endured 3 rounds of chemo and after scans in June 2010 he is again NED and is now getting 3f8 Monoclonal Antibodies every 8 weeks. Please continue to pray for our little boy. Read the updates for the current information on Noahs journey. Our greatest praise goes to God our Father who gives us the comfort, peace and strength through Noah's healing. We also have such a tremedous support group and wonderful prayer warriors who have gotten us through these tough times.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Heroes and Angels
If there are any parents of children out there who are still battling this disease or have beat it, that would like to be featured as a hero on the site. Also any parents of children who have lost the battle to this horrid disease, who would like their child to be featured as a angel on the site.
Caitlyn- Still Fighting
Caitlyn. Diagnosed at age 5 months, stage IV, high risk. Current age - 19 months. AND STILL FIGHTING.
Hereo- Still Fighting Wes
Wes is a 5 year old little boy who was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma on June 24, 2011. As of 8/19/11 he had just completed his third cycle of chemotherapy. He still will have to undergo a total of 4 more rounds of chemotherapy, surgery if possible, stem cell re-infusion, 20 rounds of radiation and anti-body treatment.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Omega-3 Possible weapon against tumors in children
In a newly published study, Swedish and American scientists show how the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA can serve as both sword and shield in the fight against certain forms of cancer. The new findings on the mechanisms behind this two-sided effect give hope of one day using DHA as a complement to cytostatics in the treatment of children with neural cancer.
Neural cancer (neuroblastoma) in young children is the most common solid tumour form in this age group. The prognosis is very poor and some 40 per cent of patients die of the disease. However, it is known that fatty acids can protect healthy nerve cells from dying, and at the same time kill several types of cancer cells. In the current study, the scientists were interested in exploring what happens to DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid found mainly in oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), inside the cancer cell.
Using an advanced method called liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, the researchers looked at the products that were formed on the breakdown of DHA and which of them have a lethal effect on the cancer cell. They also tried to identify the enzymes involved in the breakdown process.
"We observed that DHA forms hydroperoxy fatty acids and hydroxy fatty acids inside the cancer cell," says Helena Gleissman, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and the study´s principal author. "These fatty acids are oxidised through the agency of enzymes called 5- and 15-lipoxygenase, but they can also be oxidised spontaneously. Hydroperoxy fatty acids are particularly involved in apoptosis."
DHA can be converted into these cell-killing oxidised fatty acids in healthy neurons, but they are then converted further into substances called resolvins and protectins, thus avoiding the accumulation of cytolethal oxidised fatty acids in the cell. Protectins are particularly effective at protecting nerve cells from dying, which from a future treatment perspective makes it especially interesting that neither resolvins nor protectins are formed in neuroblastoma cells.
"While DHA kills cancer cells in the nervous system via hydroperoxy fatty acids, it protects healthy nerve cells from dying via protectins," says Dr Gleissman. "If we can find a way of controlling this process, there is a good chance that DHA can serve as both sword and shield in neuroblastoma patients and act as a complement to cytostatic therapy."
The study was based on a collaboration between Professor Per Kogner´s research group at Karolinska Institutet and Professor Charles N Serhan´s group at Harvard Medical School. The researchers will now be looking into how DHA can be applied most effectively in the treatment of cancer. The research was funded by the Swedish Children´s Cancer Foundation, Swedish Research Council, Swedish Cancer Society, Erik and Edith Fernström´s Foundation for Medical Research, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and NIH.
Source: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=8419
Neural cancer (neuroblastoma) in young children is the most common solid tumour form in this age group. The prognosis is very poor and some 40 per cent of patients die of the disease. However, it is known that fatty acids can protect healthy nerve cells from dying, and at the same time kill several types of cancer cells. In the current study, the scientists were interested in exploring what happens to DHA, an Omega-3 fatty acid found mainly in oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), inside the cancer cell.
Using an advanced method called liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, the researchers looked at the products that were formed on the breakdown of DHA and which of them have a lethal effect on the cancer cell. They also tried to identify the enzymes involved in the breakdown process.
"We observed that DHA forms hydroperoxy fatty acids and hydroxy fatty acids inside the cancer cell," says Helena Gleissman, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and the study´s principal author. "These fatty acids are oxidised through the agency of enzymes called 5- and 15-lipoxygenase, but they can also be oxidised spontaneously. Hydroperoxy fatty acids are particularly involved in apoptosis."
DHA can be converted into these cell-killing oxidised fatty acids in healthy neurons, but they are then converted further into substances called resolvins and protectins, thus avoiding the accumulation of cytolethal oxidised fatty acids in the cell. Protectins are particularly effective at protecting nerve cells from dying, which from a future treatment perspective makes it especially interesting that neither resolvins nor protectins are formed in neuroblastoma cells.
"While DHA kills cancer cells in the nervous system via hydroperoxy fatty acids, it protects healthy nerve cells from dying via protectins," says Dr Gleissman. "If we can find a way of controlling this process, there is a good chance that DHA can serve as both sword and shield in neuroblastoma patients and act as a complement to cytostatic therapy."
The study was based on a collaboration between Professor Per Kogner´s research group at Karolinska Institutet and Professor Charles N Serhan´s group at Harvard Medical School. The researchers will now be looking into how DHA can be applied most effectively in the treatment of cancer. The research was funded by the Swedish Children´s Cancer Foundation, Swedish Research Council, Swedish Cancer Society, Erik and Edith Fernström´s Foundation for Medical Research, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and NIH.
Source: http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=8419
Monday, August 15, 2011
Facts about Neuroblastoma
Facts about Neuroblastoma
There are approximately 12,500 children suffering from some form of pediatric cancer.
Neuroblastoma is an extremely rare childhood cancer, affecting 10 children in every million, usually
before the age of 5.
In the U.S., approximately 650 new cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed each year.
Originating from neural crest cells called neuroblasts in the sympathetic nervous system where nervous
system tissue is present, neuroblastoma is a solid tumor cancer most commonly found near the adrenal
glands (located on top of the kidneys and in the chest).
The term neuro indicates "nerves," while blastoma refers to a cancer that affects immature or
developing cells.
The cause of neuroblastoma is unknown. Studies have shown that genetics and environmental factors
are not involved.
40 percent of neuroblastoma patients are younger than 1 year when diagnosed, 35 percent are aged 1-2
years, and 25 percent are older than 2 years when diagnosed.
In 70-80 percent of patients with neuroblastoma, the disease is not diagnosed until it has already
metastasized (spread) to lymph nodes, liver, bone, bone marrow and/or skin. These cases are
categorized as stage IV and have a less than 40 percent chance of surviving long-term, classified as
more than three years. Less than half of these patients survive. i
No drugs or treatments are available today designed to specifically treat neuroblastoma.
Treatment often requires a combination of surgery, chemotherapy drugs designed for different types of
adult cancers, bone marrow transplants and radiation therapy.
The five-year survival rate for high-risk cases of neuroblastoma is less than 40 percent. ii
There is a zero percent chance of survival for patients who relapse.
Males have a slightly higher incidence of neuroblastoma than females. More than 40 percent of fully
insured families with a child with neuroblastoma declare bankruptcy due to the high costs of treatment,
often considered to be experimental.
ii
There are approximately 12,500 children suffering from some form of pediatric cancer.
Neuroblastoma is an extremely rare childhood cancer, affecting 10 children in every million, usually
before the age of 5.
In the U.S., approximately 650 new cases of neuroblastoma are diagnosed each year.
Originating from neural crest cells called neuroblasts in the sympathetic nervous system where nervous
system tissue is present, neuroblastoma is a solid tumor cancer most commonly found near the adrenal
glands (located on top of the kidneys and in the chest).
The term neuro indicates "nerves," while blastoma refers to a cancer that affects immature or
developing cells.
The cause of neuroblastoma is unknown. Studies have shown that genetics and environmental factors
are not involved.
40 percent of neuroblastoma patients are younger than 1 year when diagnosed, 35 percent are aged 1-2
years, and 25 percent are older than 2 years when diagnosed.
In 70-80 percent of patients with neuroblastoma, the disease is not diagnosed until it has already
metastasized (spread) to lymph nodes, liver, bone, bone marrow and/or skin. These cases are
categorized as stage IV and have a less than 40 percent chance of surviving long-term, classified as
more than three years. Less than half of these patients survive. i
No drugs or treatments are available today designed to specifically treat neuroblastoma.
Treatment often requires a combination of surgery, chemotherapy drugs designed for different types of
adult cancers, bone marrow transplants and radiation therapy.
The five-year survival rate for high-risk cases of neuroblastoma is less than 40 percent. ii
There is a zero percent chance of survival for patients who relapse.
Males have a slightly higher incidence of neuroblastoma than females. More than 40 percent of fully
insured families with a child with neuroblastoma declare bankruptcy due to the high costs of treatment,
often considered to be experimental.
ii
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