In July 2009, Adam was diagnosed with High-Risk Neuroblastoma, an aggressive and difficult to treat paedeatric cancer. By the time of diagnosis the cancer had spread from a main abdominal tumour to arms, legs, pelvis, ribs, spine, and skull vault. It had infiltrated distant lymph nodes, and more than 80% of Adam's bone marrow.
Over the past two years Adam has been receiving continuous treatment under the Royal Marsden Hospital. He has undergone 100 days of chemotherapy, 2 courses of high-dose radiation therapy, 3 stem cell harvests, a 7-hour operation to resect his primary tumour, and high-dose chemotherapy followed by stem cell rescue. Most recently he has started a 12-months of oral chemotherapy, and is undergoing a 6-month course of immunotherapy in Greifswald, Germany.
Despite all this treatment mIBG scans, the most reliable test for neuroblastoma, show widespread bone and bone marrow disease.
There are no further options for Adam in the UK. After treatment in Germany ends we do not know precisely what the future holds, however, our most likely destination will be America - to enroll Adam on early phase clinical trials in the hope of keeping his disease at bay.
Follow Adam's progress at:
http://adamsappeal.org
http://blog.adamsappeal.org
