Dad starts effort to discover treatment for son’s uncommon brain cancer

Global Cancer Diagnosis in Children

St. Jude Children’s Hospital projects that approximately 400,000 children across the globe will receive cancer diagnoses this year. In the United States, advancements in research and treatment have significantly improved survival rates. Surprisingly, about 80% of children diagnosed can expect to survive for five years or more. Still, ongoing efforts aim to enhance these figures and find better treatments for the less common types of cancer.

“Kids with brain tumors have really fallen behind,” an expert mentioned. It’s disheartening to note that many treatments available date back to the 1980s.

Take Fernando’s son, Frederico, for example. He was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, which is the most prevalent brain tumor in children, though it remains relatively rare. You see, only five out of every million children are diagnosed annually, which makes attracting funding for new research a challenge.

“Sadly, he relapsed,” Fernando shared. “My doctor told me that there was nothing we could do to save him and that I should just go home and spend time with him.”

Innovative Clinical Trials Offer Hope

The five-year survival rate for those with medulloblastoma exceeds 80%. However, a recurrence of the disease drops that rate to less than 40%. It’s a stark statistic. “When I got that devastating news five years ago, it took a couple of weeks, but I started to recover,” Fernando reflected.

Two years after Frederico’s cancer returned, the focus turned to finding effective treatments for him as he navigates recurrent medulloblastoma at age 18. “We’re determined to find a cure for this disease swiftly. It’s all about connecting the best minds,” Fernando explained. “The Medulloblastoma Initiative (MBI) emphasizes collaboration. Scientists need to work together to secure funding.”

The initiative has successfully united over 12 laboratories around the world. “Having each piece of the puzzle lets us progress rapidly and produce fascinating results,” he stated eagerly.

Since their last update, MBI has been actively working on at least two clinical trials for medulloblastoma at the University of Florida, with other studies also in progress.

“There’s a lot more in the pipeline,” Fernando noted. “I’m really excited about these results.”

Advanced Treatments on the Horizon

In trials funded by MBI, researchers are programming patients’ white blood cells to identify and attack tumor cells. Preliminary results have been encouraging—one participant experienced almost total cancer elimination. Additionally, scientists at the University of Florida are exploring experimental mRNA-based cancer vaccines in mouse studies. This line of research might lead to universal treatments that activate patients’ immune systems in battling cancer.

Fernando emphasized that every single donation to the MBI directly supports research and clinical trials aimed at helping children like Frederico. “He’s a bit of an anomaly, but he’s aware that this type of tumor can return, so we’re racing against time. That’s why we’re pushing so hard—to save him and countless other children,” he concluded.