Breakthrough in toddler cancer study
Scientists believe they have made an important breakthrough in the study of a little-known cancer affecting children under 3 years.
Posted: 20 April 2007
Wilms' tumour affects about 70 children a year in the UK and thousands around the world.
Previous studies found that damage to a specific gene during the development of the foetus in the womb was linked to the cancer. This meant it was impossible to use normal genetic techniques, which inactivate genes from conception, to investigate how the tumour forms and how it could be treated.
In the latest research a team at Edinburgh University developed a new method for inactivating genes at any time of the experimenters' choosing.
The Association for International Cancer Research (AICR), which funded the research, hope their findings will help lead to new treatments for Wilms' tumour and also that a greater understanding of how tumours develop will help scientists create treatments for more common cancers.
Wilms' tumour usually develops within the first three years of life and can spread to the lungs and liver. Symptoms include a lump in the abdomen, loss of appetite, fever and high blood pressure. The disease can be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, depending on how far the tumour has spread.
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