Investigating a promising new drug in the fight against
pediatric osteosarcoma (bone cancer)
The Morgan Adams Foundation is partnering with the Osteosarcoma Institute in Dallas, TX to fund a correlative study of the Phase II Clinical Trial of a new drug to treat osteosarcoma. The drug targets a specific protein on the cancer cells (called a Myc protein) that was long thought to be undruggable – while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
This drug has shown very promising results in previous studies, and this next phase could be one of the key steps in moving it into standard of care for current patients in treatment. Which means your donations could truly be funding an incredible breakthrough in kids’ cancer!
Want to learn more about the science behind this and other studies you’re helping to fund?
What is Osteosarcoma?
Osteosarcoma is the most common bone cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults. It can occur anywhere along the skeleton, but the most common sites are in longer bones, for instance knees and shoulders.
There are over 26,000 new cases of osteosarcoma diagnosed worldwide each year. The overwhelming majority of cases require surgery and chemotherapy, and about 1/3 of cases will relapse and spread – with dire implications for the patients’ survival.
There have been no new treatment options approved for osteosarcoma in nearly 40 years. But hopefully, your donations are about to change that.
Learning more about the lives you’re supporting
Meet Ally, diagnosed with Osteosarcoma at 13
The summer before her freshman year, Ally noticed a growing bump on her lower leg. After a biopsy and countless scans, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. At just 13 and at such a pivotal, exciting point in her life, she was understandably heartbroken – and exponentially terrified. Because when Ally was only 9, her mother passed away from the very same cancer. She endured 9 painful, months of 3 different chemotherapies, 4 more surgeries (including an 8-hour leg reconstruction which removed 5 inches of her left shin).
In March of 2020, she was officially ruled to be in remission – only for the pandemic to set in and her best friend, Jazmin, pass away of the same cancer soon after. But those weren’t the only challenges Ally would face.
In the months following, Ally suffered chronic leg pain, poor circulation in her leg leaving her foot purple and freezing constantly, and barely any ability to walk. An investigative surgery led doctors to discover her own bones had never fused to her donor bone – meaning her leg was essentially three separate bones only attached by metal rods and screws. After another 9-hour surgery, Ally’s leg was successfully reconstructed.
Today, a little over 3 years out of her last surgery, with 3-inch, 10-inch and 13-inch scars decorating her leg, Ally lives a happy, healthy life. Her leg still affects her daily, but she is forever grateful she still has a leg, is able to function, and enjoy life to its fullest. Follow Ally’s story on Instagram @scarred.for.life.06
Want to learn more about the science behind this and other studies you’re helping to fund?
