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Sunday, September 21, 2008 --- 108 days ago http://www.journalstandard.com/news/x1374609903/Pecatonica-child-faces-cancer-tr
 Physicians and family members are hoping that an experimental, unproven treatment could help cure a 12-year-old Pecatonica boy who is suffering from neuroblastoma cancer. The child, Benjamin Johnson, 12, of Pecatonica, is currently a patient at the University of Wisconsin/American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wis., and will undergo the experimental procedure starting Monday, Sept. 22, 2008. If successful, this cancer treatment will not only help save Ben’s life, but may also suggest a new approach for treating neuroblastoma that could help other children struggling with the disease. “We’re very hopeful,” said Peggy Johnson of Pecatonica, Ben’s mother. “The procedure has not been done before, but we have scientific evidence showing it could produce positive results. It’s the option that gives us a chance at a cure for [the disease].” Standard treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, as well as more unconventional therapies, have so far been unsuccessful in curing Ben. Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer in which solid tumors arise from cells that look like primitive nerve cells. Depending on the form the disease takes, some can live for several years with the disease and some can be cured, but it can be fatal, officials said. On Monday, Sept. 22, 2008, Ben will receive a stem-cell transplant from his mother, Peggy. These stem cells from Peggy’s immune system would then destroy cancer cells in Ben’s body, if ... |
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