Cancer Research UK Annual Review 2011/12

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32 | Our doctors save lives Charlie Williams, 12, from Suffolk Beating brain tumours Brain tumours present a tough challenge as they are difficult to detect and treat. They affect over 9,000 people each year and are also one of the most common types of cancer in children. That’s why our doctors are looking at new ways of detecting brain tumours, investigating how they grow and spread, and developing essential new treatments that will help more adults and children survive. Ten years ago Charlie may not have got the outcome he did. It makes you realise just how important research is. In the future we know that treatments will be even better. Beverley Williams, Charlie's mum. We discovered temozolomide, used worldwide to treat people with the most common type of brain tumour.
Annual Review 2011/12 | 33 Charlie’s story Charlie was just five when he was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumour that affects around 50 children in the UK every year. He endured months of treatment, including a sevenhour operation, radiotherapy twice a day for five weeks and a year of chemotherapy. It meant he missed two years of school. Now 12, Charlie has been given the all clear. ‘It’s great to see him back at school and doing normal things, like playing football with his friends,’ says Charlie’s mum Beverley. ‘We’re so proud of him; we hope that in the future every family affected by a brain tumour gets a happy ending.’ Improving treatment Charlie’s illness and treatment have left him with some long-term side effects, including an underactive thyroid and hearing loss. He has to take drugs every day and he uses a hearing aid. We’re supporting research to help improve treatments for children like Charlie. Some children with medulloblastoma need more intensive treatment than others, and doctors want to identify which children could benefit. This could give them a lower risk of long-term side effects such as deafness, which can make a huge difference to a child’s quality of life. Glow in the dark brains It may sound like science-fiction, but ‘glow in the dark’ brains are part of an exciting development in brain tumour treatment. The brain controls all of the body’s functions so there’s no room for error during surgery. ‘We’ve helped develop a pioneering new technique that could make brain surgery more effective,’ says Dr Colin Watts at the University of Cambridge. ‘Under ultraviolet light, a dye that’s absorbed by the body’s cells makes tumours “light-up”, glowing pink while healthy tissue appears blue. This makes it easier for surgeons to remove as much of the tumour as possible and leave the healthy tissue untouched.’ We’re co-funding a trial testing this exciting new technique in glioblastoma, one of the most common types of brain tumour in adults. cancerresearchuk.org
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Cancer Research UK Annual Review 2011/12

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