Congratulations to Professor Shivaram Avula and his team, who have been awarded £187,000 in grant funding by Children with Cancer UK, for a new research study focused on improving the lives of children and young people with brain tumours.
The study, titled “Early imaging Predictors of Quality of Life in Children and Young People. A pilot study in Paediatric Ependymoma (EPiQ – Ependymoma)”, is the first imaging study to be launched under the European Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOPE) Brain Tumour Group. It’s a pilot study, aiming to find early imaging features that could help predict how children will recover and live after treatment.
This multi-centre study will run over three years and help gather important data to support larger research trials and studies in the future.
Quality of Survival is becoming a key focus in research and care for children with brain tumours, as rehabilitation has its challenges. This funding gives us the chance to explore how early imaging findings might help predict the development of late effects so that it can improve access to appropriate intervention or rehabilitative management.”
Professor Shivaram Avula
Parallel to this work, a new brain injury group has been formed at Alder Hey, bringing together experts from Oncology, Neurosurgery, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Endocrinology, Audiology, Ophthalmology and Neurology. Together, they will collect and study data to better understand the needs of children with brain tumours.
A huge congratulations to Shivaram and the team for leading this important work!