Large DNA study on childhood cancer launched

Childhood cancer is a disease of the DNA. Changes in DNA can cause a healthy cell in the body to become a cancer cell. To detect these DNA changes, Prof. Dr. Frank Holstege has launched a large DNA study at the Princess Máxima Center.

Every cell in the body contains DNA. This DNA includes a kind of code that determines how our body functions. When that code changes, a healthy cell can turn into a cancer cell. There are many different types of cancer. The type depends in part on where in the body the disease begins. In leukemia, for example, the DNA in the white blood cells has changed. In brain tumors, changes occur in the DNA of brain cells. Even within one cancer type, there are differences. The DNA of one child with leukemia may be altered in a different way than in another child with the same disease.

Changes in DNA

Because of these different DNA changes, children sometimes respond differently to treatment. One child may respond well, while the cancer cells of another child do not react at all to the same therapy. Frank Holstege is a medical biologist and professor of Genomics, the field that studies large-scale research into heredity and the genes of humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms. At the Princess Máxima Center, he investigates the role that DNA changes play in childhood cancer.

Untangling DNA

“To find out what works best for which patient, it's important that we detect all possible changes in the DNA,” Holstege explains. “In our study, we compare the DNA from tumor cells with the DNA from healthy cells. This helps us discover exactly where the changes occur.” Holstege and his team aim to analyze the DNA of every patient who comes to the Princess Máxima Center. “This helps doctors make the right diagnosis for each child. What do the cancer cells look like? And — with permission from parents and the child — we also want to use the DNA to learn more about how different tumors are from one another.”

Combining knowledge

Many experts are working together on this study, both from the Princess Máxima Center and UMC Utrecht. Holstege: “By working together, we can combine our knowledge. That is essential to map all the genetic differences in childhood tumors. With this information, we can increasingly determine which treatment is the best option for each patient.”