Children suffering from cancer can be cured in many cases today. However, applied therapies using high-dose drugs usually lead to severe side effects. A new treatment method at the Children's Hospital Munich Schwabing makes it possible to treat children without these severe side effects. For this purpose, the treating physicians needed a modern real-time PCR device. The Regine Sixt Children's Aid Foundation DRYING LITTLE TEARS was happy to finance this device in order to significantly improve the treatment of the young patients in the future.
The modern real-time PCR device makes it possible, among other things, to validate the reading of tumor-specific genes in the tumor tissue of each patient. With this so-called gene expression pattern of the tumor, individual cell-based cancer therapies are possible, which in individual cases offer a chance of cure even in the case of relapse of the disease - even in the case of already metastasized disease. In the future, approximately 10 to 12 small patients per year will benefit from this.
Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Burdach, head of the Translational Pediatric Oncology Research Group at the Technical University of Munich: "With the new state-of-the-art real-time PCR device, we are now able to identify the gene expression pattern of a tumor and derive an individualized drug- or cell-based therapy for the diseased child - an enormous help and prerequisite for successful treatment. It is especially important that the toxic side effects of conventional treatments can be avoided for these children who have suffered through a long history of the disease. We say from the bottom of our hearts: 'Thank you' to the Regine Sixt Children's Aid Foundation."
Regine Sixt, Chairman of the Board of the Regine Sixt Kinderhilfe Stiftung DRYING LITTLE TEARS: "In Germany today, 4 out of 5 children with cancer recover. However, in the case of certain cancers and advanced stages of the disease, the chances of recovery are many times lower. That is why I am particularly pleased to be able to help the Munich Schwabing Children's Hospital to improve the treatment of children with cancer with the new device. After all, it is precisely the youngest among us who should have access to the best possible healthcare."
