An innovative project will explore how osteosarcoma spreads around the body to help develop new treatments for patients with metastatic disease.
Treatment for osteosarcoma typically includes both surgery and chemotherapy, with the aim of removing the tumour and any remaining cancer cells. However, in some cases, the cancer can spread (metastasise) to other parts of the body — making it much harder to treat and reducing chances of survival.
Researchers at Imperial College London, led by Dr Olivier Pardo, are investigating how osteosarcoma cells travel through the bloodstream to reach distant organs.
The cells, known as circulating tumour cells (CTCs), travel from the original tumour and can go undetected by the body's immune system. To study them, Dr Pardo and his team are using an innovative new device that mimics the conditions these cells face as they travel through the blood vessels. This will allow them to closely monitor how the cells change in response to these conditions to survive.
By comparing the behaviour of the travelling cells to those that remain in the original tumour, the team hope to identify critical adaptations that allow the cells to survive and eventually spread.
Funding for this project was made possible thanks to a collaboration between the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT) and CCLG: The Children & Young People's Cancer Association, two charities dedicated to improving outcomes for people affected by this brutal disease.
Dr Pardo, group leader at Imperial College London, shared:
We are incredibly grateful to the Bone Cancer Research Trust and CCLG for providing us with funding to take our project off the ground. When patients present with metastatic disease, their treatment options become even more limited. We hope that, by improving our understanding of how metastasis occurs, we can identify new targets to help treat these patients more effectively.
Will Burchell, CEO at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, added:
We are proud to award crucial funding to Dr Pardo and his team as they work to uncover new treatments for metastatic osteosarcoma patients. This would not have been possible without the incredible supporters of our charities, who remain committed to helping more patients have a brighter future. Through the power of collaboration, we will get there faster.
Pete Lloyd, former osteosarcoma patient and BCRT ambassador, said:
For someone dealing with primary bone cancer, this research is crucial because it homes in on a key challenge when it comes to treatment: metastasis. The knowledge gained through this study could help identify new ways to slow down or stop the spread of osteosarcoma, which could make a real difference to patients' survival.
Ashley Ball-Gamble, CEO at CCLG, commented:
We're excited to be able to fund this innovative new research that offers hope to young people with metastatic osteosarcoma. Both CCLG and the Bone Cancer Research Trust are committed to developing more effective treatments and, in turn, improving outcomes for young people whose osteosarcoma has spread.
Karen and Richard Berry's son, Ben, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2014 at 16 years old.
Following his diagnosis, Ben set up a Special Named Fund at CCLG called the 'Little Heroes Fund' to raise money for research into osteosarcoma to help other children, teenagers, and young adults with the disease.
Sadly, Ben passed away on 20th December 2020. In his memory, his family are keen for his fund still to grow to honour their son's intentions, and have now been able to support this project with the money it has raised. Karen shared:
We, his family, are using donations from his charity fund to support two new projects. We are honouring Ben's intentions in hope that his wish to 'change the world' of treatment and outcomes for bone cancer patients might be realised.
In the next stage of this research, the team plan to test various drug combinations to see if they can block the survival strategies of travelling tumour cells in hope of translating their research into new treatments.
Learn more about this pioneering study at the link below: