January, 2025
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Leona Knox: There is no ‘good’ neuroblastoma
Jan 12, 2025, 13:47

Leona Knox: There is no ‘good’ neuroblastoma

Leona Knox, Head Of Research at Solving Kids’​ Cancer UK, shared on LinkedIn:

“A new year always seems to hold new hope, but I’m feeling very sombre already as we’ve witnessed first hand some of the families losing their children to neuroblastoma during this holiday period.

There is no ‘good’ neuroblastoma, every diagnosis brings distress and worry.

But I often think about families dealing with indolent neuroblastoma, as our own cousin Nicola went through, many years of trying to live with it and hold it at bay until it finally takes over.

Somehow that feels particularly cruel, as cure always seems just out of reach and no more.

From a research perspective it also taunts us – the disease is not out of control (until it eventually is), and the key to unlocking effective treatment surely lies within the unique biology.

Among the strong efforts to find these answers, John Maris’ team funded by Solving Kids’​ Cancer UK, JOINING AGAINST CANCER IN KIDS INC, the Merryn Lacy Trust, Oscar Knox Fund, Solving Kids’ Cancer (US) and Zoe4life is examining indolent neuroblastoma in a bid to be able to identify it at diagnosis and offer potentially more effective therapies.

So despite the devastation we witness, we must hold on to hope that a better future lies ahead for these children thanks to our dedicated scientific community and generous donors.

We will not stop until that’s true.

This post is inspired by our friend Katie Rose, who went to sleep forever this week aged 14.”