London, England The National Health Service (NHS) on Wednesday announced the launch of a targeted treatment for brain tumors in children and young people that can be taken at home and significantly slows the progression of the disease. .
It has been found that dabrafenib with trametinib keeps disease progression for more than three times longer than standard chemotherapy for children with low-grade gliomas who have a specific genetic mutation, while sparing them the harsh side effects of chemotherapy. Is saved from.
An Indian-origin woman who lost her eight-year-old son Raj to high-grade glioma in 2018 welcomed a "compassionate" new treatment that has been approved for use by the NHS.
“Several years ago, I had to make the decision to stop chemotherapy treatment for my son because he was suffering terrible side effects after years of treatment. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make because it was a clear sign that we were running out of options, and it was possible that I would lose him,” said Suki Sandhu, a consultant for the UK brain tumor charity. Are trustees, said.,
He said, "We need compassionate medicines and new treatments for people with brain tumors like this treatment and I hope that other families will also get these medicines and hopefully live free from the disease for a long time and have a good quality of life." Will be able to live life." ,
Gliomas grow in the brain or spinal cord and can be low-grade, where tumors grow slowly, or high-grade, where they grow more quickly and can often be fatal. About 150 children are diagnosed with low-grade gliomas each year in the US. About one in 30 are diagnosed with high-grade gliomas — and one-fifth of them have a mutation in the BRAF gene that makes the tumor more resistant to chemotherapy.
Following the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care, the new treatment will be available on the NHS in the coming months to young people aged one to 17 with low-grade or high-grade gliomas who have the BRAF V600E mutation.National Center for Excellence (NICE) – which approves treatments for the state-funded NHS.
“A diagnosis of glioma brain tumor, which is often fatal for people with advanced high-grade glioma, can have a devastating impact on children and their families. Treatment options are limited, and we know they can be cruel,” said Helen Knight, Psy, director of medicine evaluation at NICE.
“I am pleased that we can recommend this new combination therapy that can keep children alive longer without their tumors growing and provide them and their families with a better quality of life,” he said.
The combination treatment, which is given at home rather than in a hospital, works by targeting proteins made by the altered BRAF gene that are responsible for uncontrolled tumor growth.Clinical trials showed that while having fewer side effects than chemotherapy, the treatment halted the growth of low-grade gliomas for an average of about two years (24.9 months) – longer than standard chemotherapy (7.2 months ) three times more than.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: “It is fantastic news for me that this new and compassionate precision treatment will now be available on the NHS for children and young people with this type of brain tumour, it is an important step forward " The treatment has been shown to be easier to take than chemotherapy and to be very effective in stopping the progression of the disease, helping children have a better quality of life for a longer period of time.
“It can also be taken at home, meaning children and teens can spend less time being treated in hospital and more time with their loved ones and doing the things they enjoy."
It has been found that dabrafenib with trametinib keeps disease progression for more than three times longer than standard chemotherapy for children with low-grade gliomas who have a specific genetic mutation, while sparing them the harsh side effects of chemotherapy. Is saved from.
An Indian-origin woman who lost her eight-year-old son Raj to high-grade glioma in 2018 welcomed a "compassionate" new treatment that has been approved for use by the NHS.
“Several years ago, I had to make the decision to stop chemotherapy treatment for my son because he was suffering terrible side effects after years of treatment. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make because it was a clear sign that we were running out of options, and it was possible that I would lose him,” said Suki Sandhu, a consultant for the UK brain tumor charity. Are trustees, said.,
He said, "We need compassionate medicines and new treatments for people with brain tumors like this treatment and I hope that other families will also get these medicines and hopefully live free from the disease for a long time and have a good quality of life." Will be able to live life." ,
Gliomas grow in the brain or spinal cord and can be low-grade, where tumors grow slowly, or high-grade, where they grow more quickly and can often be fatal. About 150 children are diagnosed with low-grade gliomas each year in the US. About one in 30 are diagnosed with high-grade gliomas — and one-fifth of them have a mutation in the BRAF gene that makes the tumor more resistant to chemotherapy.
Following the green light from the National Institute for Health and Care, the new treatment will be available on the NHS in the coming months to young people aged one to 17 with low-grade or high-grade gliomas who have the BRAF V600E mutation.National Center for Excellence (NICE) – which approves treatments for the state-funded NHS.
“A diagnosis of glioma brain tumor, which is often fatal for people with advanced high-grade glioma, can have a devastating impact on children and their families. Treatment options are limited, and we know they can be cruel,” said Helen Knight, Psy, director of medicine evaluation at NICE.
“I am pleased that we can recommend this new combination therapy that can keep children alive longer without their tumors growing and provide them and their families with a better quality of life,” he said.
The combination treatment, which is given at home rather than in a hospital, works by targeting proteins made by the altered BRAF gene that are responsible for uncontrolled tumor growth.Clinical trials showed that while having fewer side effects than chemotherapy, the treatment halted the growth of low-grade gliomas for an average of about two years (24.9 months) – longer than standard chemotherapy (7.2 months ) three times more than.
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said: “It is fantastic news for me that this new and compassionate precision treatment will now be available on the NHS for children and young people with this type of brain tumour, it is an important step forward " The treatment has been shown to be easier to take than chemotherapy and to be very effective in stopping the progression of the disease, helping children have a better quality of life for a longer period of time.
“It can also be taken at home, meaning children and teens can spend less time being treated in hospital and more time with their loved ones and doing the things they enjoy."
