A New Hope for Children with Cancer. Polish Scientists Bring a Breakthrough

What is the LiBRha Liquid Biopsy?

Treating childhood sarcoma just got faster and more comfortable. The LiBRha Project is a pioneering, eight-year initiative designed to conduct advanced research on pediatric sarcomas.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer that primarily affects children and sometimes teenagers. The previous diagnostic method, which involved surgically removing cancerous tissue, caused pain and stress for young patients, and often led to complications. Now, that is about to change.

The LiBRha liquid biopsy is becoming a simple blood test, giving doctors the world’s first advanced diagnostic method. This will allow oncologists to perform a “gene map review” to see which genes are active in cells and which are not.

The information obtained this way will help specialists to:

• Detect the presence of cells or their fragments circulating in the blood at different stages of therapy;
• Track genetic changes and evaluate treatment results;
• Monitor disease remission.

This breakthrough will allow for better-tailored treatment methods for young patients, while diagnostics will not require frequent hospital stays. Furthermore, doctors will be able to check the progress of therapy more often and verify the current stage of the disease.

Polish medicine also stands to gain from this new project. It has a great chance of improving the accuracy and speed of diagnosing young cancer patients. This, in turn, translates into a better and faster way to save the lives of the youngest.

“The LiBRha Project means a new quality in treating children with soft tissue sarcomas for Poland. Thanks to the liquid biopsy and comprehensive molecular studies, we will be able to diagnose sarcomas with the highest precision, select better treatments, and monitor patients,” explained Professor Bernarda Kazanowska, the project leader, on the foundation’s website.

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Biobank to Support Childhood Sarcoma Treatment

A national biobank will also be established as part of the LiBRha Project in the near future. It will store tissues for further diagnostic and scientific research. This initiative will also have a positive impact on the diagnosis and treatment of childhood sarcoma. Moreover, it will help to monitor treatment through blood analysis and provide a better risk assessment.

The “Na Ratunek Dzieciom z Chorobą Nowotworową” Foundation is responsible for carrying out the project, along with two research institutions: the Consortium of the Medical University of Wroclaw and the Medical University of Lodz. The therapy will be available to all young patients in every hospital in Poland.

Read the original article: Dzieci z rakiem przestana cierpieć. Polscy naukowcy dali im nadzieję