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15 June, 2021The scientist Patricia Sancho has received a grant of 60.000 euros from Aspanoa to study medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor in children with cancer
Aspanoa, the association that cares for children with cancer in Aragón, has just granted a grant of 60.000 euros to the Metabolism and Tumor Stem Cells Group of the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragon) to develop a project against childhood cancer. Specifically, the team led by Dr. Patricia Sancho will try to find methods to prevent the most aggressive medulloblastomas from recurring after treatment or from reproducing in other parts of the patient's body.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children with cancer. It is located in the cerebellum and its survival in Spain is 60%. There are four types of medulloblastoma and subtypes 3 and 4 are the most complex to treat because they can recur - reappear after treatment - and spread to other areas of the patient. “When medulloblastoma reappears, there is no chance of cure,” explains Dr. Sancho. Hence, this group from the IIS Aragón is going to test methods to avoid recurrences.
Around 60 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma each year in Spain, of which between 2 and 3 are Aragonese. These tumors are usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, except in the case of children under three years of age, in which radiotherapy is avoided and high-dose chemotherapy is opted for.
The team led by Patricia Sancho is specialized in studying the role of tumor stem cells in the development of cancer. They are the cells that are capable of forming tumors under any circumstance and that, by definition, are very resistant to chemotherapy and produce metastasis. “Our goal is to eliminate these tumor stem cells to prevent medulloblastoma from reappearing,” Explain.
The IIS Aragón group has successfully tested different methods in mice to destroy these tumor stem cells using different inhibitors and drugs. They have already tested them successfully in mice with pancreatic cancer and now they want to see if they would also work against medulloblastoma.
“Our idea is to give priority to drugs that are already on the market because, since they are approved for use in humans, if they work in mice it would be easier to do clinical trials in patients,” explains Dr. Sancho.
The project has a duration of two years and, in addition to Patricia Sancho, two laboratory technicians will work: Pilar Espiau and a second who will be hired shortly. Two researchers from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, Laia Caja and Irene Golán, will also collaborate in its execution.
Patricia Sancho, a researcher through a Miguel Servet scholarship, has been with her own research group at the Aragón Health Research Institute since 2017. “Since she was little she wanted to research cancer and she had a thorn in her side about pediatric cancer. I had never had the opportunity to study childhood tumors and for me to open myself to this field is very special. First, because when I was working in Paris, the daughter of a lab colleague died from cancer and we all suffered a lot. And, second, because these patients are children. They have their whole lives ahead of them and being able to offer it to them through research is very fulfilling for me on a professional and personal level.”
Aspanoa is the association that cares for children with cancer in Aragon, supports their families and promotes research against childhood cancer in the Community. Last year he helped 171 children with cancer in the different phases of the disease and 352 relatives of the affected minor, the majority, their parents and siblings. In addition, it has a committed investment in research against childhood cancer. 385.000 Euros.