Retinoblastoma is a form of cancer found in young children, which develops from cells of the retina, the tissue of the eye that detects light. It arises from a mutation, either a point mutation or complete deletion of both of the Rb tumour suppressor genes within a cell, and can be a result of inherited or sporadic genetic default. Loss or defect of this region on chromosome 13 means cells can proliferate uncontrollably, leading to tumour formation that not only affects the eye but can spread to the brain or cause metastases in bone, soft tissue and the central nervous system via haematogenous spread. The invasive treatment of large tumours can cause major consequences for sufferers; for example enucleation leads to loss of vision and radiotherapy can increase a child’s chances of developing second metastases.
Introduction
Retinoblastoma is a rare malignant cancer of infancy and early childhood, where tumours develop in the cells of the retina, the light sensitive lining of the eye (1) (see figure 1). The cancer develops due to the loss or mutation of both of the Rb genes within a retinal cell and can be inherited or sporadic. With the inherited form, sufferers have a germline mutation of the Rb gene, making most cases bilateral, but with the sporadic form the first ‘hit’ occurs randomly in a retinal cell, hence the majority of cases are unilateral. The number of infants diagnosed with retinoblastoma has doubled over the past forty years (2) with the disease now being
Dr Jennifer Chan, the head of this tumor research, is an Associate Professor & Neuropathologist in the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Oncology, and Clinical Neuroscience in the University of Calgary. Besides her work on education, she is also directing a tumorigenesis research team at the University of Calgary, and a tumor banking program which supports pediatric cancer research. Nonetheless, she is also a member of both the Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute and the Experimental and Applied Therapeutics Program (ExpAT).
Many sporadic melanomas are also found to have mutations or loss of expression of this tumor suppressor gene, known to act in the same signaling pathway as the retinoblasma cases (see 3.3 Tumor suppressor genes).
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive form of malignant brain cancer in adults. On average, 8 of every 100,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma every year – representing approximately 2% of all cancers diagnosed [1]. Glioblastoma tumors form when astrocytes, star-shaped cells which support and protect the brain, re-enter the cell cycle and start to rapidly divide. Because the brain is supported by a large network of blood vessels, tumors grow quickly and are difficult to remove surgically. Present treatments for glioblastoma are limited to surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy; however, despite these interventions tumors are likely to regrow. Consequently, typical survival time following glioblastoma diagnosis is less than 2 years.
CNS tumors represent the second most frequent tumor of childhood and the most common pediatric solid tumor; approximately 2,200 patients under the age of 20 are diagnosed each year with invasive CNS tumors, and CNS tumors are the number one cause of death from childhood cancer. [1] Therapeutic strategies generally involve surgery as a primary intervention, but complete resection is often not possible due to tumor location. In such cases, adjunct therapies, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy, may be required based on the tumor histology and presence of residual tumor. [2]
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is one of such currently untreatable causes of blindness. RP, along with Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are amongst the more frequent causes of blindness in the developed world (Greenwald 2009), while RP itself is the leading cause of inherited blindness (Palanker 2004).
Glioblastoma (pronounced like gleO blastoma) is an incurable brain cancer,Survival rate is usually measured in months.This became a word that was instantly defined, researched, dissected, feared, and tried to comprehend and understand by family,friends and acquaintances of Larry McKee (McKee)who was personally affected from this single word, it was quickly added to their vocabulary, because of the of the events that transpired on October 22, 2011 that forever changed lives “Glioblastomas are tumors that arise from the astrocytes- the star-shaped cells that make up the “glue-like,” or supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly malignant (cancerous) because the cells reproduce quickly and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels.”(A.B.T A..) He was diagnosed with stage four.
1. Red – retinal arterioles, hemorrhaging, neovascularization, vascular anomalies, vascular tumors, retinal breaks, holes in retinoschisis, cilioretinal artery, and inner portion of thin areas of retina
Glioma is a solid primary tumour that starts in the brain and has a very high mortality rate. Brain tumours are most common in adults but can also affect children. There are two types of tumours one type is called the low-grade tumour and this is the slow growing tumours that are referred to as non-malignant. High-grade tumours are fast growing and are referred to as malignant tumours. However even though there are different grades they both have the potential to cause harm. The high grade which are cancerous are the most difficult to treat this is because of highly vascularized nature of the tumour. Treating high-grade gliomas requires specific alterations within the cells. Patients who suffer from a brain tumour will have many symptoms.
Neuroblastoma was Dr. Audrey Evan’s main point of medical research, which is one of the most common cancers in children and the most common in infancy. Neuroblastoma is a
Do you believe young athletes should earn participation trophies? According to "Trophies For All Policy," youth athletes are being rewarded with participation trophies. There can be positive and negative results from earning a participation trophy. But, not everyone can be rewarded for nothing. Some parents believe earning participation trophies could help boost some young athletes confidence, but is that what sports are all about though? Youth sports are not just about winning or earning a trophy, it is mostly about playing the game and enjoying yourself.
Kalihi is the geographic area, but Census data exists for Honolulu, Hawaii. Hawaii is one of the most diverse states in the U.S., but current Census information does not filter minority groups such as Chuukese or Filipino. Rather the Census data categorizes various ethnic groups into such as Pacific Islander, Asian, and Native Hawaiian. The assumption is that the Hawaiian culture involves more collectivistic families than individualistic families. Collectivist families have more group cohesion and collectivistic cultures make decisions based on the betterment of the group. The statistic that proves the previous statement is there are 1,673 households out of the total 8,383 with 7 or more people living in one household (Census Bureau, 2010). The languages spoken in Honolulu include Tagalog, English, Hawaiian, and Pidgin, which is a blend of Hawaiian and slang words.
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inheritable diseases that is characterized by gradual deterioration of the photoreceptors in the retina. The photoreceptor cells in the retina, rod cells, are light sensitive cells that are able to sense low levels of light. The frequency of retinitis pigmentosa is one in four thousand births (Deng et al., 2015; Fahim et al., 2012; Haddad et al., 2016; Shu et al., 2012) People affected by retinitis pigmentosa will typically exhibit symptoms of night-blindness first, and this will precede a loss in the patient’s visual acuity field that starts from the outer edge and gradually moves inward resulting in a much smaller visual field and loss of peripheral vision, also known as tunnel vision (Haddad et al., 2016).
predominant in younger kids while teens are faced with the repercussions of lymphoma and sarcoma.
“They name the most powerful storms after a women for a reason. ” (Sin) but on the contrary, as stated in the quote above, there are many characters in The Color Purple that stress women empowerment such as Shug Avery, Sofia, Olivia, Tashi, and Kate. One major character who influences the change in Celie is Sofia. Sofia has been fighting her whole life against the men in her family and now she fighting Harpo for her rights as an individual. When Celie and Sofia have their argument, Celie says: “You told Harpo to beat me, she said.
Cancer, one of the most feared words in our vocabulary of this time, especially in childhood (Druker 1). Most people when thinking of “childhood cancer” envision very young children, although a “Nation Institute of Health Policy concerning inclusion of children in clinical research defines children as being younger than twenty-one years of age while the Food and Drug Administration considers children to be fifteen years and younger” (Ries 158). That being said, most cancers incidence peak among children occurs during the first year of life (Gurney 149). Some of the most well-known nationwide childhood cancers are leukemia, brain cancer, and other central nervous system cancers (oeconline 1). In conjunction, “the side effects of treatment,