Researchers uncover childhood cancer gene

CALGARY- 10 days before Christmas of 2010, Vanessa Thibodeau’s world turned upside down.

“It’s a day, I’m sure we’ll never forget,” the mother of two recalls. Annalise Thibodeau, who was three at the time, had been experiencing strange symptoms.  Doctors discovered cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL, the most common cancer among children.

“They told us it was nothing we did,” Vanessa says, “that they didn’t know what caused this.”

300 Canadian children are diagnosed with ALL every year, and until now doctors have had no idea behind the cause.

Now, researchers have uncovered a clue. identifying a genetic link specific to the risk of ALL.

“We’re in unchartered territory,” says study author Kenneth Offit, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre. “At the very least this discovery gives us a new window into inherited causes of childhood leukemia. More immediately, testing for this mutation may allow affected families to prevent leukemia in future generations.”

The mutation was first observed in two families of which several people of different generations had been diagnosed with the disease.

“The first family had five individuals affected over two generations,” explains Intan Schrader, a research fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering, “the second had five individuals affected over three generations with ALL.”

The inherited genetic mutation is located in a gene called PAX 5, a so-called master gene that controls several other genes.  It’s believed that only a small number of ALL cases are linked to this genetic mutation but the discovery has given scientists new information about how leukemia develops.

“We hope by understanding these genetic changes that are critical to the development of leukemia, we can have further understanding of what potential therapies may be available,” Schrader says.

For the Thibodeau family, the discovery is encouraging.  Annalise finished treatment six months ago, her cancer is in remission and for that, Vanessa credits treatments advancements made in the last 10 years.

“40 years ago, Annalise would not still be with us,” she says with smile, “but there is still more to learn and still more children that can be saved.”

The Leukemia & Lymphoma society raises money in support of blood cancer research. It’s hosting a fundraising walk on September 28th in Edmonton, and  on October 5th in Calgary.  For more information on “Light the Night” visit: http://www.lightthenight.ca/ab/

September is childhood cancer awareness month to learn more visit the Kids Cancer Care website: http://www.kidscancercare.ab.ca/