PORTLAND, Oreg. (Ivanhoe Newswire) --They are two words that should never go together, kids and cancer. But more than 16 out of every 100 thousand kids get one form or another. Now, there’s a new weapon to help kill this deadly disease.
“I was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma,” bone cancer patient, Lilly Webb, told Ivanhoe.
A big word for such a little girl, but Lilly Webb knows exactly what it means.
“It’s a small bone generated cancer and it’s usually caused by injury,” Webb said.
She knows exactly when it was discovered.
“I was carrying stuff, and then I fell down the stairs,” Webb explained.
An increasing pain turned out to be a tumor wrapped around Lilly’s spinal cord. Traditional radiation could damage other tissues, so doctors at the Knight Cancer Institute used the new TOMO Therapy H-D to help destroy Lilly’s cancer.
“The beam is going to come all the way around the patient and the patient is going to slide through,” Carol Marquez, MD, Radiation Oncologist at the Oregon Health & Science University, told Ivanhoe.
This machine is the only one using a specific beam pattern to treat a tumor. The radiation beam adjusts to stay on target.
“It spares the normal tissue better,” Dr. Marquez said.
Lilly did experience some side effects.
“You get tired and your skin may get itchy,” Webb explained.
She was on this table for 28 days straight, 30 minutes a day.
“Usually asking me, can I go to school,” Dr. Marquez said.
Now cancer free, Lilly aced her treatments and her classes.
“My favorite subject is science,” Lilly said.
TOMO H-D is used in all types of pediatric cancers, especially brain cancers. In adults it’s used for head and neck, rectal, and pancreatic cancers. MORE
Click here for Ivanhoe's full-length interview with Dr. Carol Marquez
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Andrew Mcintosh at amcintosh@ivanhoe.com
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