Genetic sequencing access for children with cancer urgently needed according to experts

Leading scientists and doctors at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust are calling on the NHS to dramatically increase access to genetic sequencing for the 1,800 children diagnosed with cancer each year, so that doctors can understand patients’ disease better, direct them to clinical trials that could offer more precise treatment, and help drive the discovery of new targeted treatments for childhood cancers. The scientists say that it is important to obtain genetic information at relapse even if it has already been obtained at diagnosis, as many tumours evolve and become more aggressive and resistant to treatment over time, and new mutations may arise. NHS England plans to introduce an NHS Genomic Medicine Service, and the resources and infrastructure to expand access to sequencing, very soon.

Professor Louis Chesler, Professor of Paediatric Solid Tumour Therapeutics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Consultant in Paediatric Oncology at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Molecular profiling of children’s cancers will be incredibly useful when it comes to finding new treatments. We may be able to increase the chance of a child responding to treatment by looking for genetic changes in their tumour that can be targeted using existing drugs. If no drugs exist, this will highlight areas for future scientific discovery, which is what drives the development of new, more effective treatments. We urgently need to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to analyse all these samples and to return useful information to clinicians that can guide treatment.”