Tag : Ewing’s Sarcoma

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WEB REVIEW – Teen battling cancer inspires to raise £6,000 for charity

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The bravery shown by a Stourton teenager battling a rare form of cancer has inspired family and friends to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.   Imogen Westwood, 13, was recently diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a cancer that develops in the supporting tissues of the body. She has just finished her fourth chemotherapy session to target the tumor in her upper chest. Seeing the inspirational teen cope with the disease spurned her father, brother and several other family members and friends to lose their locks and raise funds for the charity. Her father said: « The Teenage Cancer Trust has received a lot of press recently and it has really raised the profile of the charity. » The family will travel to America in June, where Imogen will receive proton therapy to... Full article

WEB REVIEW – Toddler’s cancer spotted by chance

Zach =nicholls and his mother who spotted his cancer by chance
Three-year-old Zack Nicholls is fighting Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer which strikes less than 35 children in the UK every year. His disease was discovered by pure luck after he fell out of bed.   "Zack's journey started on September 6 last year when he fell out of bed," said his mom. "I checked him over and I found a big lump on his shoulder. Zack underwent a series of tests and on October 2 he... Full article

WEB REVIEW – Fund for little girl battling cancer

Maddie Hems
Maddie Hems was just eight years old when she was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma in April last year. Her family has launched Maddie’s Fighting Fund to raise money to help her battle this rare form of bone cancer. Maddie had been suffering from pain down her left arm when doctors discovered an inoperable fist-sized tumor underneath her collarbone. Her dad said : “When we got confirmation from the doctor, I knew it... Full article

Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) gives doctors more flexibility to treat complex tumors

Dr. Anita Mahajan, medical director of the MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center in Houston, Texas.
As sophisticated as Proton Therapy is today for successfully treating cancers with few side effects, proton beam technologies continue to advance to meet the clinical needs of cancer patients. The latest generation of proton treatment methods is called intensity-modulated proton therapy or IMPT. IMPT lets radiation oncologists adjust the precision, depth and intensity of a proton beam to the peaks and valleys of... Full article

Part 7 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

When they first diagnosed 3-year-old Georgia with a rare Ewing’s sarcoma in June 2012, physicians at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines predicted a 20 percent chance of survival. Amazingly, four months of chemotherapy and experimental P53 gene therapy had reduced the tumor on Georgia’s spine by 70 percent. But the side effects of those treatments also ravaged her tiny body. In October, Becca and Nick had to choose which radiation treatment would best kill the last bits of their little girl’s tumor — and do so with as few serious side effects as possible.... Full article

Part 6 – In search of the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

To Becca and Nick’s surprise, the Filipino radiologists who each had advocated their own radiation specialties — IMRT, CyberKnife and Tomotherapy — to treat 3-year-old Georgia’s cancer, had come to a consensus. Proton Therapy would be best for Georgia. Becca and Nick eagerly awaited word from specialists at a London hospital. "On October 10, Becca returned to writing in her blog, The Helping Georgia Fund: “I can research until the cows come home but we need experts who have done this procedure to tell us the options and give advice. We need someone to say I have done this... Full article

Part 5 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

The radiation treatment options for their daughter Georgia’s cancer were still being sorted out by Becca and Nick at their Manila home. They were getting conflicting advice from members of the medical team. One advised IMRT. Another SRS. They were awaiting word from London about Proton Therapy. And out of nowhere another option appeared. In early October, Becca wrote on her blog, The Helping Georgia Fund: “Today we went to Makati Med [another hospital in Makati City] and met with a radiation oncologist who uses Tomotherapy. We found him to be very informative and helpful. He has... Full article

Part 4 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

October 7th was fast approaching for Becca and Nick. That would be the day they would learn if their daughter’s spinal tumor had shrunk in size. Since mid-June, 3-year-old Georgia had weathered round after round of chemotherapy at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines. She had endured experimental gene therapy injected directly into her tumor and intravenously. The side effects were miserable. Georgia’s continued treatment was reaching a fork in the road. Radiation therapy needed to be pursued. But which kind? Photon beams or proton beams? “…It makes my stomach... Full article

Part 3 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

Life was a swirl for Becca and Nick as August concluded. The ugly side effects of chemotherapy were taking a toll on Georgia, their 3-year-old daughter. Their 7-year-old son, AJ, deserved some quality attention apart from the day-to-day cancer care that consumed his parents. And they were packing up their household to move to a new neighborhood in Manila. Then, the medical team at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines surprised Becca and Nick with the choice of several radiation treatment options to continue Georgia’s care. “…We finally heard back from our... Full article

Part 2 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option, “knowledge is power”

With chemotherapy appearing to work well, last summer, Becca and Nick had mentally prepared for surgical removal of the remaining tumor on their little girl’s spine. But the medical team at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines concluded surgery would be too risky for 3-year-old Georgia. The physicians presented Becca and Nick with several radiation treatment options from which to choose. “All any parent wants is to make the right decision for their child,” Becca observed on her blog, The Helping Georgia Fund. “We don’t ever want to look back and have any regrets... Full article

Part 1 – In the search for the best cancer therapy option,“knowledge is power”

April 8th can’t come soon enough for Becca and Nick. That’s the day PET scans and an MRI will be done to see if their 3-year-old daughter’s tumor is gone. The scans will be conducted at St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines where Georgia undergoes chemotherapy. They’ll be evaluated by her medical team in Manila and her proton therapy team some 1,600 miles away in Seoul, Korea, at the National Cancer Center’s Proton Therapy Center. Diagnosed with an aggressive tumor on her lower spine just days after her birthday last June, Georgia received proton beam treatments at... Full article
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