Test hope for cancer children

The technique was developed by scientists in the UK

British scientists believe they have found a way of spotting children at risk of relapsing after cancer treatment.

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research have developed a technique to identify rogue tumours in children with a type of kidney cancer called Wilms tumour.

By using bright fluorescent dye they are able to identify those tumours most at risk of failing to respond to treatment.

This new technique will allow us to identify a small group of children who are far more likely than normal to suffer a relapse

Sir Paul Nurse, Cancer Research UK

This enables them to target treatment at these tumours, increasing the child's chances of overcoming the disease.

Scientists analysed tumour samples taken from 18 children who had been treated at London's Royal Marsden Hospital. Ten of these had suffered a relapse.

The scientists examined how the genes within these tumours acted after undergoing treatment.

The fluorescent dye highlighted those genes which were highly active and most likely to cause the cancer to return.

The pattern was seen in the tumour samples taken from all those children who had relapsed and was not found at all in those who managed to beat the disease.

'Real value'

Lead scientist Dr Kathy Pritchard-Jones said: "This is preliminary work with a very new technique, but we believe it will have real clinical value in the future.

"Identifying children who are destined to relapse with current therapies will allow us to intensify their treatment early on and hopefully reduce the chance of their cancer growing back."

Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "Until now, we've had at best a rough indication of whether a child was likely to have problems in the future.

"But this new technique will allow us to identify a small group of children who are far more likely than normal to suffer a relapse.

Uncertainty reduced

"It's this improvement in prediction that makes it so useful and which will make such a difference to future patient care."

Cally Palmer, chief executive of the Royal Marsden Hospital, added: "Being able to make accurate predictions about a child's future health after cancer will take much of the uncertainty out of treatment.

"Doctors will be able to give children at high risk of relapsing the best possible chance of surviving their disease, while giving the rest a confident all-clear."

The study was published in The Lancet.