Australian researchers are racing to develop new cancer treatments for children that are just as powerful as current therapies but far less toxic, as survivors face lifelong health complications from chemotherapy and radiation.<\/p>\n
More than 1000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in Australia, with survival rates now exceeding 80 per cent. However, about two in three survivors are left with long-term health effects from treatments originally designed for adults.<\/p>\n
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: New hope for childhood cancer survivors<\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n Wyatt and Theodore are among the survivors who paid a heavy price for beating leukaemia. Wyatt was just three years old when diagnosed, with two years of treatment leaving him permanently deaf in one ear.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t want them,\u201d said Wyatt\u2019s mother Jessica Dickinson. \u201cThey fight you. They kick and scream and you know that you have no choice. Because you need to give it to them to give them a chance to stay alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Theodore was two when he became critically ill, fighting the disease for 800 days.<\/p>\n \u201cOur kids are pumped with poison that was designed for adults and their bodies are just put through absolute hell,\u201d his mother Ebony Brouwer said.<\/p>\n Professor Louis Chesler from the Children\u2019s Cancer Institute said the problem stems from outdated treatments.<\/p>\n \u201cChildren are not young adults,\u201d he said. \u201cThese drugs are toxic and they do damage to children. Damage that is lifelong.\u201d<\/p>\n The next frontier in treatment includes immunotherapy, cellular therapies and cancer vaccines, designed to attack cancer more precisely while protecting the rest of the body.<\/p>\n In a major boost for Australian families, the federal government is investing $5 million to bring international CAR-T trials to Australia, giving more children access to cutting-edge immunotherapy closer to home.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a tremendous time for cancer research and for clinical medicine and for the care of children. We think all children should have a long and healthy life,\u201d Chesler said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Roseanne Barr\u2019s on-screen son responds after her wild rant<\/p>\n 2 min read<\/p>\n