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Faster chemo boosts survival from type of nerve cancer

26/02/2008

Chemotherapy given with shorter intervals between treatments increases survival rates by two-thirds in children with a type of nerve cancer.

That is the conclusion of a new study published today in the Lancet medical journal on the survival rates from neuroblastoma, a cancer of the special developing nerve cells.

This type of cancer affects around 90 children each year in the UK and the high-risk type of the disease is one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths in children.

Scientists from the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) studied the effects of giving chemotherapy every ten rather than 21 days at 1.8 times the conventional dose in 262 children with the most aggressive form of neuroblastoma.

Five-year, event-free survival rates increased by 12 per cent in the group with the rapid ten-day technique, and the time it took to move on to the next stage of treatment was reduced by 55 days.

Survival in the rapid treatment group was 30.2 per cent compared to 18.2 per cent in the standard treatment group.

The results of this study have led to the roll-out of the more rapid chemotherapy method across Europe.

"Our method of chemotherapy increases the survival rates for children with high risk neuroblastoma and is already saving the lives of many children," said lead author Professor Andy Pearson, professor of paediatric oncology at The Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden hospital in Sutton.

"Using a higher dose and having chemotherapy with shorter breaks between each treatment means that fewer children will die from the disease each year."

CCLG chairman Dr Bruce Morland added: "This type of chemotherapy is a much better building block for this most severe form of neuroblastoma compared to conventional methods.

"Thanks to this study, children across Europe with this type of cancer will now receive more intensive therapy early in their treatment and have a significantly greater chance to survive their battle against the disease."