Australian researchers have made a breakthrough in the hunt for a cure for childhood cancer, identifying crucial changes in a child’s DNA that indicate they’re more likely to develop the disease.
The discovery is now prompting calls for broader genetic testing, with experts warning some cases are being missed entirely under current guidelines.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Breakthrough in childhood cancer genetic testing
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Ryder is one of the success stories, now thriving after bravely enduring years of treatment. He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour at just 10 months old.
The shocking discovery wasn’t a total surprise to his mum Kelly, who had a family history of brain tumours.
“I always thought that it was going to happen to me,” she said.
His aunt died of a brain tumour decades earlier, when technology offered no answers. But doctors have now identified a genetic cause in Ryder’s case.
“It was quite a shock when we found out that there was the genetic link to it, and unfortunately I’d passed it down to Ryder,” Kelly said.
A new study from the Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) has identified a change that occurs within a child’s DNA that indicates they’re more likely to develop cancer.
Researchers analysed around 500 young patients with the disease and found one in six was born with this genetic change.
“It’s a change on the DNA that actually makes the gene not work properly,” Dr Noemi Fuentes-Bolanos of the CCI said.
“We are learning that we have an answer for their cancer in a bigger proportion than we thought.”
The team is now calling for broader genetic testing, saying current guidelines don’t cover enough cases.
“If we initially would have followed all the clinical criteria, the conventional clinical criteria, we would have missed half of them,” Fuentes-Bolanos said.
Ryder’s father Alan believes the breakthrough will be life-changing for families facing similar diagnoses.
“To be able to pinpoint certain cancers and genetic links in the future will be amazing,” he said.
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