What is Rotationplasty?
If your child is diagnosed with osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, both different types of bone cancer, near or around the knee, your doctor may recommend a procedure called rotationplasty. Other options include amputation and limb salvage surgery. Rotationplasty is a type of autograft that generally provides greater function than a standard above-the-knee amputation or limb salvage surgery. Rotationplasty gives a child a greater chance of participating in competitive sports. Ankle Serves as Knee Joint During this radical operation, the surgeon removes the affected part of the leg including the cancerous tumor near the knee. Then the lower section of the leg (shin bone, ankle and foot) is rotated 180 degrees so that the foot points backwards. The surgeon reattaches that part of the leg to the remaining thigh bone. As a result, the ankle now serves as a replacement knee joint. The patient...
What Is A Second Opinion?
Hey Mom and Dad, Let’s chat, Cancer Parent to Cancer Parent, about seeking a second opinion. I’ll be the first to admit I was very nervous when seeking a second opinion. I did not want my child’s team to feel insulted or think that I didn’t trust them. We LOVE our team, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love our daughter. And guess what? After receiving the second opinion, the first thing our primary doctor said was “Never feel bad about seeking a second opinion.” In the immortal words of artist and rapper Macklemore, let’s talk about “What it is. What it does. What it isn’t.” What it is: A second opinion is defined as an independent professional review and assessment of a patient’s illness. A doctor, who is not currently treating your child, carefully reviews the treatment plan and confirms the diagnosis, offers advice, education, and may suggest alternative treatments....
What Is CAR-T?
You may have heard of CAR T-cell therapy, also called CAR T, but what is it? It is an immunotherapy treatment that uses your child’s own immune cells, specifically the T-cells, to fight specific blood cancers. CAR-T can be a frontline treatment or an option if one or more treatments did not work, meaning the cancer is resistant to treatment, or if the cancer returned. Medical professionals do a blood draw to collect your child’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell. Then the T-cells are sent to a specialized lab where they are changed (genetically modified) into individualized CAR T cells with the goal of making them destroyers of the cancer. CAR stands for chimeric antigen receptor and that is what is attached to your child’s T cells and programmed to attack the cancer cells. It takes two to four weeks to make CAR T cells. The CAR T cells are then infused through an IV into your child...
What Is a Lumbar Puncture? What is a Spinal Tap?
It’s scary enough to have your child diagnosed with cancer. But on top of that you hear all these new words and terms, which can be overwhelming, such as lumbar puncture or spinal tap. A lumbar procedure is the same thing as a spinal tap. It is a commonly performed procedure to diagnose and manage a variety of diseases including cancer. It is an invasive procedure used to collect the cerebral fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture/spinal tap may also be done to measure the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid or to inject medicine, including chemotherapy, directly into the spinal cord and central nervous system. To prepare your child for a lumbar puncture/spinal tap, tell your child what to expect in the hospital and during the procedure. Ask your child’s healthcare team if you can stay with your child during the procedure, and if it’s OK to bring a...
What Is a Bone Marrow Transplant?
You just learned that your child has to have a bone marrow transplant. It sounds ominous. You have a lot of questions. Like, what exactly is bone marrow and what is a bone marrow transplant? Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. It creates red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. In addition, bone marrow contains immature blood-forming cells known as hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs. These stem cells are unspecialized, and they can either remain stem cells or mature into different kinds of blood cells. A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure that replaces bone marrow that has been damaged or destroyed by disease, infection, or chemotherapy. It involves transplanting healthy blood stem cells into the patient so that they can travel to the patient’s bone marrow where they start producing new blood cells and promote growth of new bone marrow. Healthy...
Rally Announces $1M in Awards to Consortium Grants
We are thrilled to share that Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research has awarded a total of $1 million in funding for Consortium Grants this year. So, what exactly is a consortium? In short, it’s teamwork at its best! A consortium brings together three or more institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to work together on a grant-supported research project. A principal investigator from the lead institution submits an application for the grant with the support of at least two other collaborating institutions. Each institution’s team brings unique strengths to the table, and together, they push the boundaries of what’s possible in childhood cancer research. Some childhood cancer treatments have not changed in 40 years. With your support, Rally funds groundbreaking research projects, including these Consortium Grants, which will lead to better treatments for kids with...
What is Rotationplasty?
If your child is diagnosed with osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, both different types of bone cancer, near or around the knee, your doctor may recommend a procedure called rotationplasty. Other options include amputation and limb salvage surgery. Rotationplasty is a type of autograft that generally provides greater function than a standard above-the-knee amputation or limb salvage surgery. Rotationplasty gives a child a greater chance of participating in competitive sports. Ankle Serves as Knee...
What Is A Second Opinion?
Hey Mom and Dad, Let’s chat, Cancer Parent to Cancer Parent, about seeking a second opinion. I’ll be the first to admit I was very nervous when seeking a second opinion. I did not want my child’s team to feel insulted or think that I didn’t trust them. We LOVE our team, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love our daughter. And guess what? After receiving the second opinion, the first thing our primary doctor said was “Never feel bad about seeking a second opinion.” In the...
What Is CAR-T?
You may have heard of CAR T-cell therapy, also called CAR T, but what is it? It is an immunotherapy treatment that uses your child’s own immune cells, specifically the T-cells, to fight specific blood cancers. CAR-T can be a frontline treatment or an option if one or more treatments did not work, meaning the cancer is resistant to treatment, or if the cancer returned. Medical professionals do a blood draw to collect your child’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell. Then the T-cells are sent to...
What Is a Lumbar Puncture? What is a Spinal Tap?
It’s scary enough to have your child diagnosed with cancer. But on top of that you hear all these new words and terms, which can be overwhelming, such as lumbar puncture or spinal tap. A lumbar procedure is the same thing as a spinal tap. It is a commonly performed procedure to diagnose and manage a variety of diseases including cancer. It is an invasive procedure used to collect the cerebral fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord. A lumbar puncture/spinal tap may also be done to...
What Is a Bone Marrow Transplant?
You just learned that your child has to have a bone marrow transplant. It sounds ominous. You have a lot of questions. Like, what exactly is bone marrow and what is a bone marrow transplant? Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue inside your bones. It creates red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. In addition, bone marrow contains immature blood-forming cells known as hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs. These stem cells are unspecialized, and they can either remain stem cells or mature...
Rally Announces $1M in Awards to Consortium Grants
We are thrilled to share that Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research has awarded a total of $1 million in funding for Consortium Grants this year. So, what exactly is a consortium? In short, it’s teamwork at its best! A consortium brings together three or more institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to work together on a grant-supported research project. A principal investigator from the lead institution submits an application for the grant with the support of at least two...