What We Do

Cancer research at RCH

Friday, 24 June 2011 11:33

Researchers are working on ways to improve treatments for childhood cancer.

Cancer is one of the most devastating illnesses a child can face – and unfortunately, sometimes the only treatments available can be very hard on kids’ little bodies.

Thankfully, researchers are hard at work studying not only the cancers that affect kids, but also ways in which treatment can be improved.

Funding from the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation has helped researchers to complete a study on a drug commonly used to treat childhood cancer. The results of their study have now been published in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health.

The research looked at the way in which this drug, vincristine, interacts with kids’ bodies, and whether certain genes affect the way the drug behaves.

Most importantly, this research showed that it was possible to conduct this kind of study without having to subject sick children to multiple tests and procedures. This is great news, as it means researchers may be able to undertake larger studies in the future without making life any more complicated for sick kids and their families.

This research is a vital step towards minimising the side effects of chemotherapy, and maximising kids’ chances of beating cancer.

To read more about how the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is working wonders for kids with cancer, click here.

promo

Meet Jack

To see Jack playing with his younger brother Luke, you’d never imagine he has a chronic, life-threatening disease.

Read more