Manchester scientists receive £4m funding boost for children’s brain tumour research

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Mum welcomes funding to help other children like her son in the future

A mum from Altrincham – whose seven-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he couldn’t stop vomiting – is backing a multi-million-pound transatlantic research project into childhood cancer research co-led by a team of scientists from Manchester.

Jessica Tait’s life was turned upside down in February 2023 when she received the devastating news that her son Samuel’s constant “sickness bugs” were in fact due to an aggressive brain tumour.

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After months of what was thought to have been viral vomiting infections doctors finally discovered a Medulloblastoma tumour in the central base of Samuel’s brain, close to the top of his spinal cord.

Samuel Tait and mum JessSamuel Tait and mum Jess
Samuel Tait and mum Jess

Unfortunately, further tests revealed the cancer had also begun to spread to another part of his brain. He was only five years old at the time.

Samuel had surgery to remove the tumour followed by two rounds of induction chemotherapy and then a course of radiotherapy. As part of a clinical trial funded by Cancer Research UK, Samuel also received proton beam therapy treatment – a high energy treatment used for cancers that are close to vital or delicate parts of the body.

During the trial Samuel was among the first children in the world to receive twice daily proton beam therapy treatment. This allowed for smaller doses to be given in each treatment over a shorter period, with the aim of reducing the overall long-term side effects.

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Last month Samuel completed the last of eight further rounds of chemotherapy just in time to celebrate his seventh birthday at home with his brothers Rory, nine and two-year-old Theo.

Samuel ringing the bell after treatmentSamuel ringing the bell after treatment
Samuel ringing the bell after treatment

His family were relieved to be given the results from his most recent scan which showed no sign of cancer and Samuel will now be regularly monitored for the next five years.

Samuel has recently returned to school part time, and he is starting to get back into his old routine. But his parents Jess, 39 and 45-year-old Stuart, face a fearful wait to see what the long-term side effects could be.

More than 75 per cent of children with brain tumours survive in the long term, often thanks to radiotherapy*. But although radiotherapy is one of the most effective ways to treat childhood brain cancers, it can also result in short and long-term side effects for youngsters as healthy tissue is affected by the radiation – from physical growth problems to developmental problems with learning.

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That’s why more than £4m has been awarded to a transatlantic team of scientists who are working on research into the long-term side effects of radiotherapy on children with brain tumours.

The Tait familyThe Tait family
The Tait family

The project is being worked on by large teams of researchers both close to home and overseas including The University of Manchester, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, Birmingham, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, USA, and Netherlands based Princess Maxima Hospital and University Medical Center Groningen.

The project, co-led by University of Manchester-based child cancer specialist Dr Martin McCabe began in 2020 with an aim to identify the parts of children’s brains that are most sensitive to radiotherapy damage.

His team will receive this second round of funding over the next four years to continue the BRAINatomy project which looks to develop an atlas of brain damage after radiotherapy to pinpoint exactly which parts of healthy brain tissue should be avoided when administering radiotherapy in future patients.

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The research funding from Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) in the US and Cancer Research UK’s Stand Up To Cancer initiative has been welcomed by Jessica, 38, who recalls the gruelling treatment that her son Samuel has been through over the past year.

Jessica, who works for a disabled people’s charity, said: “It’s been unbelievably tough. Samuel was sick all the way through all of it. But he’s got an amazing ability on keeping focused on the thing he wants to do, which is mostly Lego. So long as he’s well enough to do Lego, he’s happy.

“My eldest, Rory, has been really affected by it. They are very close, and it’s been devastating to him. He had four months of barely seeing Samuel and being terrified. The little one, Theo, was so small when he was diagnosed. My husband Stuart and I would alternate nights for four months while Samuel was in hospital, so we missed a huge amount with our other two.

“Samuel has spent the past few weeks recovering from chemo, his hair hasn’t grown back yet, but he is looking so much better. He’s still using his wheelchair, but he’s increasingly able to walk short distances now. He’s surprised us by how amazing he’s been, his whole attitude is so joyful. He’s so happy to be back in school and doing normal things. He got treats in hospital, but all he wanted was his old life back.”

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“We’ve had some bleak conversations about what the long-term side effects might look like. They expect some cognitive decline over the years ahead, which will obviously impact his learning. The high dose of radiotherapy to his spine and pituitary gland will also have an impact on his growth and his height as an adult. If this research can find a way to reduce the side effects of all of this, that would be huge for children like Samuel.”

The Manchester-based scientists are benefitting from the new Stand Up To Cancer-Cancer Research UK Paediatric Cancer New Discoveries Challenge awards. Their work has been recognised because it reflects SU2C and Cancer Research UK’s shared ambition to accelerate the development of new treatments for some of the rarest and hardest to treat cancers in children and young people. 

Lead scientist Dr Martin McCabe, who is based at Manchester Cancer Research Centre said: “Childhood cancers remain a major clinical unmet need. It’s great news for Manchester that we have been awarded this significant second phase of funding. We are making good progress towards our ambitious goal, and we hope this research will lead to safer radiotherapy treatments for childhood brain tumours as well as new treatments that could help more young people to survive this type of cancer in the future.

“Our main focuses for the second round of funding will be to study where in children’s brains the effects of proton therapy are most damaging for cognitive function, to see if it is possible to re-direct proton therapy to deliver effective therapy while protecting the most sensitive brain regions, to investigate the impact of detecting hormone deficiencies caused by radiotherapy earlier than we currently do, and to see whether we can help to protect brain function by reducing brain inflammation around the time of radiotherapy. This research could be a real game-changer for generations to come as we develop ways to deliver radiotherapy accurately to tumours but avoid sensitive areas of the brain and ultimately give patients much better lives.”

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He continued: “The award is also a proud recognition of Manchester’s reputation as a world-leading centre in cancer research. We’re excited to have been awarded this second round of funding to help more young people across the world with this devastating disease.”

Cancer Research UK Chief Executive Michelle Mitchell said: “Thanks to research, more than three in four children and young people diagnosed with a brain tumour in the UK survive for at least five years*. Every extra moment that they can spend with their families is precious and we want those moments to be as comfortable as possible.

Many young people who survive their cancer face long-term side effects, such as fertility problems or loss of hearing, as a result of their treatment. These problems often persist for the rest of their lives.

“The research from the University of Manchester highlights that, as well as developing new treatments with fewer side effects, we must also focus on making the treatments and interventions we already have better for children and their families.

“Across the UK, we support researchers who are dedicated to making sure that children and young people will see a future where they can lead longer, healthier lives, free from the fear of cancer.”

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