St. Scientists from the St. Petersburg National Center for Personalized Medicine have proven the effectiveness of a new chemotherapy regimen in the treatment of embryonal tumors of the central nervous system in children, including medulloblastoma. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation reported this to socialbites.ca.
Medulloblastoma is a common and highly malignant tumor of the central nervous system in children. Chemotherapy usually works in treating the tumor, but recurrence of the disease occurs in 20-30% of patients. Additionally, because this therapy is highly toxic, doctors cannot use intensive treatment regimens.
The new regimen is to give low doses of medication without interruption in treatment. This is called a metronome.
This approach is believed to not only reduce the toxicity of the treatment but also inhibit tumor growth. An additional effect of the regimen is thought to be the ability to induce an antitumor immune response.
Scientists proved the effectiveness of the treatment through experiments on laboratory-grown medulloblastoma cell cultures. Experts used small doses of two antitumor agents that enhance each other’s effectiveness.
The new regimen has no age restriction, causes fewer complications than the basic method, and can be used in outpatient treatment. This suggests the possibility of using such treatment regimens in relapsing and treatment-resistant forms of the disease.
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