Neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer, is difficult to treat. And according to the American Cancer Institute, about 700 people in the United States are diagnosed with this form of cancer each year.
Raymond Yeager has dealt with the neuroblastoma since he was 14 years old. Now 20, he’s undergone many treatments including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, a stem cell transplant and immunotherapy. Unfortunately, nothing has helped.
But a relatively new therapy known as MIBG is now being offered in Minnesota at Amplatz Children’s Hospital at the University of Minnesota. Basically, MIBG is a substance that hunts down cancer cells in the body. Doctors combine MIBG with iodine 131, which is radioactive, and if all goes as planned, MIBG finds the cancer and the iodine kills it.
Since receiving this treatment, Yeager reported feeling better and his symptoms have improved.
“I think he would be in much worse shape than he is right now without the treatment,” said Emily Greengard M.D., a pediatric hematologist/oncologist in the U of M Medical School. “I think, hopefully he would still be alive and doing things that he enjoys, but I don’t know if his quality of life would be quite where it is right now.”
Doctors expect neuroblastoma patients from all different parts of the country to come to Amplatz Children’s Hospital for this treatment. It is only offered in about a dozen other locations.
“This treatment won’t likely replace all of those other therapies that we use when a patient is newly diagnosed,” said Greengard. “But it might add to it in order to hopefully improve the outcomes.”
Watch Raymond’s story here.
The post In the News: U of M offers new cancer treatment for neuroblastoma appeared first on Health Talk.
