Every day a child in Romania is diagnosed with cancer. Every day a family in our country enters the battle with a disease that can be beaten if it is detected early and a personalized treatment tailored to each patient is applied. The average survival rate for children diagnosed with cancer in Romania is 69.1%, 10% lower than the Western European average, according to statistics. These also show that locally, the most common tumors affecting children are leukemias (31%), lymphomas (16%), tumors of the central nervous system (14%) and bone and soft tissue tumors (7%).
Out of concern for the little ones and for a better tomorrow, MedLife developed two years ago the first free, nationwide genetic testing program for children newly diagnosed with cancer to improve therapeutic success. The test offered as part of the program was a first for Romania, being one of the most complex sequencing tests for oncological disorders currently available worldwide. Numerous international studies have demonstrated the ability of this method to help adjust treatment for cancer patients of all ages by up to 94.5%.
523 patients have so far benefited from the #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program, which gave them the chance to receive personalized cancer treatment. Most of them come from the Capital area and the counties of Cluj, Timiș, Iași and Mureș. The most common types of cancer in the children included in the program so far are hematological cancers, including various forms of leukemia and lymphoma. In second place are neurological cancers, consisting of tumors of the central nervous system (glioblastoma and medulloblastoma). Sarcoma-type cancers, which affect connective tissues, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, are also still common.
To begin with, the multiple European and world champion in junior and senior swimming has joined the initiative as an ambassador. David Popovici donated a heartfelt medal to children with cancer, the one he won at the World Championships in Budapest in the men’s 200m freestyle event, a performance with which the athlete made history, being the first world title in an Olympic pool for Romanian men’s swimming. The donated medal was melted down and took the shape of over 100 golden bows, symbolizing the fight against childhood cancer. These were given to children who are beating cancer, as David wants every child to win this battle in the future. David was joined by other world champions to similarly support #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer: Maria Olaru, Beatrice Câșlaru, Mihai Leu, Lăcrămioara Perijoc and Cătălina Ponor.
All six athletes sent a letter to authorities, companies and supporters to change the fate of hundreds of families in Romania. “For each of us, parting with our hard-earned medals was one of the most important gestures we have ever made. Taken separately, donating a medal might seem like a drop in the ocean. Taken together, however, the drops have turned into a wave, a wave of hope that, with your help, can become bigger and bigger and bigger, so big that it can wipe the disease from the lives of thousands of parents and children who are battling it… For hope begets hope and surely does not die of cancer,” reads the text signed by the six world champions.
“We launched this program two years ago out of a desire to use the resources we have to give children and families struggling with such a cruel diagnosis hope for a better tomorrow. We are delighted to have over 500 beneficiaries nationwide, but this is just the beginning. We continue to need everyone’s support to spread the message to those who really need it, so that as many children recently diagnosed with cancer as possible have the chance to receive personalized treatment to improve their therapeutic success. At the same time, let’s not forget that the results of our work could be the basis for a national program to test and monitor children with leukemia to increase the rate of survival”, stated Ina Bădărău-Ilie, Head of Communications MedLife Group.
The program launched by MedLife targets patients between the ages of 0 and 18 diagnosed with cancer within the last four months of the program’s launch. Children are enrolled in the #SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer program through their parents or oncologist. Children diagnosed with cancer within the last four months of the program’s launch date can be enrolled by filling in a form and uploading their medical records on the www.medlife.ro/speranta-nu-moare-de-cancer. Enrollment can be done through a parent, legal guardian or attending physician.
All applications are reviewed by a dedicated medical team within 10 working days. Patients who meet program enrollment requirements will be contacted to communicate next steps. Depending on each patient’s diagnosis, MedLife specialists work with treating physicians to obtain tissue samples for solid tumors or bone marrow samples for leukemias for genetic testing in the MedLife molecular biology laboratory. For patients enrolled in the program, the test results are provided within two to three weeks of receiving the sample in the laboratory, and the oncologist uses them to choose the most appropriate therapies for each child.
#SperanțaNuMoareDeCancer is a nationwide program, run by MedLife exclusively with its own funds, and the tests will be offered free of charge to children who enroll in the program and who meet the conditions.