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Cameron

A boy, Cameron, wearing a ball cap and a black and blue striped T-shirt, sits in a restaurant booth and looks toward the camera.

Cameron and his family celebrated his middle school graduation with lunch at a local restaurant.

Credit: National Cancer Institute

Childhood Cancer Survivor

In 2016, 8-year-old Cameron (he/him) had to leave school early because he couldn’t walk. An MRI showed a brain tumor, later diagnosed as medulloblastoma, that had spread to his spine.

Based on molecular test results, Cameron’s care team identified the treatment most likely to work against his specific type of medulloblastoma. “I believe it’s because of molecular data that we have our son with us today,” said Tamika, Cameron’s mother. Cameron, whose smile lights up a room, finished treatment in 2017. He’s 15 now, loves art and anime, and will be off to high school this fall.

Expanded access to molecular testing, like that which benefited Cameron, is helping doctors better treat more young people with cancer. And making molecular data broadly accessible can help researchers continue to develop more targeted treatments. “Sharing molecular information is so necessary,” Tamika said. “It helps to make great treatment even better.”

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