Better chances for childhood cancer in Brazil

According to the Brazilian Cancer Institute (INCA), Brazil has some 12,500 new cases of childhood cancer per year, this being the main cause of deaths due to diseases in children and adolescents.

On November 4, GRAACC completed 28 years of existence. Throughout this journey, the chances of cure increased to 70%, which is very close to the best children’s hospitals in developed countries.

To achieve these results, GRAACC’s Hospital invested in research, participation in domestic and international congresses, cutting-edge technology, and a team that works in the frontiers of knowledge. Since its foundation, all efforts are made to fulfill with precision the mission to guarantee all chances of cure with quality of life to children and adolescents with cancer.

In order to make the access to treatment increasingly democratic, GRAACC qualifies specialized professionals who take their knowledge and practice to all regions of Brazil. It also participates in political debates, such as the Parliamentary Front for Preventing and Combating Childhood Cancer, which was launched this year with the purpose of improving the chances of cure for children and adolescents with cancer in Brazil.

There is still a lot to be done. However, GRAACC is proud of the achievements made so far, and of benefiting more than 4 thousand patients every year. Currently, the hospital offers 61 beds, Imaging Diagnosis Center, Bone Marrow Transplant Center, Genetics Lab, Hematology Lab, Clinical Research, two surgery rooms that include a room specialized in Neurosurgery, Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy, Rehabilitation, ICU, Emergency Unit, Psychology, Hospital School Assistance, and other areas that are essential for cancer diagnosis and treatment. 804 employees (administrative area, hospital team, fundraising and marketing) and over 600 volunteers work in the institution.

The collective actions taken by society, the business sector, and academy are the reason for the successful growth and positive results achieved by GRAACC, which counts on this ongoing alliance to continue offering fair and appropriate treatment to children and adolescents in Brazil.

The first sign that something was wrong with Guilherme was that his legs were painful. It got to the stage that he could no longer bear to touch the floor with his feet. After some tests the little boy, who was only two, was sent to the GRAACC hospital where the diagnosis was confirmed: a brain tumor.

Treatment involved a year of chemo sessions, surgery and an autologous bone marrow transplant (BMT). “Although around 70% of cases of cancer in young children can be successfully treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, there are a certain number of cases that do not respond well to the initial treatment and which, because of their aggressive nature, require this procedure.

An autologous transplant may also be indicated for solid tumors that are more resistant to chemotherapy, such as head cancer and stomach cancer”, says Dr. Zecchin, the doctor in charge of the BMT center at the GRAACC Hospital.

Two other types of bone marrow transplant carried out at the GRAACC Hospital are allogeneic transplants from a donor who may or may not be a relative, which is for patients with leukemia; and haploidentical transplants, from a first degree relative with 50% compatibility, as an alternative when a 100% compatible donor cannot be found.

In Guilherme’s case, we removed his own healthy bone marrow and froze it, gave him high doses of chemotherapy to clean out the sick cells in his body, and then replaced the bone marrow. The process is similar to a blood transfusion. The stem cells are inserted into the bloodstream through a catheter and make their way to the bone marrow, where they are stored.

In the 20 years since GRAACC opened its Bone Marrow Transplant Center, 691 patients have been treated and 736 procedures carried out. This is often the only way to achieve a cure. “One of the key success factors in a transplant is its timing – the further the disease has progressed, the lower the chances of a cure. Being in a specialist center gives us the autonomy to act quickly”, says Dr. Zecchin.

After the procedure, the patient is kept in a special area of the hospital, where there is protection against infection. During this period the patient is without immunity and so very vulnerable. After a few weeks the medulla starts working and producing healthy cells again.

“When we got the news that the medulla had grafted it was a huge relief. Guilherme got better very quickly and soon he was playing games and running around the hospital again”, his mother, Gislene, recalls. Now he is free from the tumor and goes to GRAACC for checkups.

Being a specialist center gives GRAACC autonomy to provide quicker, easier access to treatment. The area, which is a reference in Brazil, is equipped for the most complex types of transplant, with a cryopreservation laboratory and top quality apparatus, run by a group of specialists in handling cells. The multidisciplinary team and the personalized nature of the treatment are fundamental for the success of these highly complex procedures, giving patients every chance of leading normal lives in the future.