2022 Special Pledge
Medulloblastoma Research at Fox Chase Cancer Center
What is Medulloblastoma?
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, that is normally located in the cerebellum, but could rapidly spread to other parts of the brain. The peak age of diagnosis is 6-8 years of age, although medulloblastoma can occur during the first year of life or during adulthood in some individuals. Despite the aggressive tumor treatment including surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiation, a significant proportion of patients with medulloblastoma still succumbs to this disease. Moreover, patients who survive medulloblastoma, often suffer severe side effects of aggressive treatment, such as endocrine disorder and cognitive deficit. More effective and less toxic approaches to treat medulloblastoma are urgently needed. The research in our laboratory has been focused on the investigation of cellular and molecular basis of medulloblastoma growth, aiming to explore normal strategies for medulloblastoma treatment.
What have we found?
Recently we found that many medulloblastoma patients have hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone. Moreover, patients with medulloblastoma also frequently develop hypothyroidism, as a side effect of tumor treatment, particularly after radiotherapy. These observations led us to examine the possible functions of thyroid hormone in medulloblastoma growth. In our preliminary studies, the proliferation of medulloblastoma cells was significantly inhibited by treatment with thyroid hormone, suggesting that thyroid hormone could be used to treat medulloblastoma.
What will we do?
With the support from Bucks County Chapter, we will investigate the correlation between hypothyroidism and tumor progression in patients with medulloblastoma, and examine the efficacy of thyroid hormone in the treatment of medulloblastoma. Our studies will establish, for the first time, that hypothyroidism promotes medulloblastoma growth, proving that management of hypothyroidism is important in patients with medulloblastoma. Moreover, the synthetic thyroid hormone (T3, liothyronine) is a FDA-approved drug. Our studies will pave the way to use thyroid hormone to treat medulloblastoma in clinic.
Thank you to our Special Pledge Donors
Diamond Level
Catherine Getchell
Ruby Level
Don and Lauren Morel
James and Susan Anderson
Joe Riggione in Memory of Joseph F. Riggione, Jr
Sapphire Level
Louis and Carol Della Penna
Lillian O'Connor
Emerald Level
Adelina Riggione in Memory of Joe Riggione, Jr
Richard Millham
Jean Fowler in Memory of Michael Fowler
Reginald and Betty Ann Bishop
Christopher Chandor
Norman Troxel
Rhea and Jim Brown
David and Robin Wiest
Charles and Margaretha Fritz III
Opal Level
Chris Terry of Re/MAX Properties in Memory of Linda deCharms
Brian and Liz Rizor
David McShane
Susan Kane
Edward Wasser, Spectrum Metals, Inc
Allison Zimmerman in Memory of Keith Zimmerman
Linda Sterthous in Honor of Barbara O'Donnell and in Memory of John V. O'Donnell
Amethyst Level
Robert and Lore Eichfeld
Patty and John Ogiony
Mal Singerman
Paul and Janet Engstrom in Honor of All Cancer Survivors
Andrew and Ellen Schindler
Megan Officer in Memory of John O'Donnell
Patty and Jim Andrusko in Memory of John O'Donnell
Blair Rush, C&N Bank
Kathleen O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Sean O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Barbara and Bruce Franzel in Memory of John O'Donnell
John Brown in Memory of Linda Brown
Ryan and Julie O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Brent Alderfer
Ed and Kathy Waddington in Memory of John O'Donnell
Patricia Walker
Graham Peterson in Memory of John O'Donnell
John Delp in Honor of Donna Schuman
Garnet Level
Charlotte and Kevin Keenan
Kermit and Georgiana Kemp
Drs. Tyma, Trachtenberg and Bullock of Doylestown Dental Associates
Eileen O'Rourke in Memory of John O'Donnell
Ginny and Roger Riedley
Joan Monahan
Jim and Mary Borthwick
John and Margaret Abbott in Memory of John O'Donnell
Monica Teesdale
Kristen and Hunter Doble in Memory of John O'Donnell
Joe and Sue O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Joseph Caruso in Memory of John O'Donnell
Brian Gallagher, GMS Surgent in Memory of John O'Donnell
Daniel J McCloskey in Memory of John O'Donnell
Barbara O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Anonymous (3)
Anonymous in Honor ofBill Gruccio
Deborah MacDonald, Canine Academy
Susan and Wendell Bowman
Diane Sterhous in Memory of John O'Donnell
Janet Fields
Patricia Bachtle
Carol Church
Margaret Merjanian
Kathleen Campbell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Carolyn Kozakowski
Richard and Cathryn Zega
George and Barbara Karr
Horace and Elizabeth Ott
Lauretta and Howard Reinert Bushar
Phillip and Susan Zaks
Kevin O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Lynda Wayne of Cadence Hearing Services LLC in Memory of John O'Donnell
Nancy Hall in Memory of John O'Donnell
Maureen Riley in Memory of John O'Donnell
Denise Milde in Memory of John O'Donnell
Joyce and Steve Hanson
Sandra Sterthous in Memory of John V. O'Donnell
Charlotte Wilkins
Your Choice Pledge
Steve Bolden in Memory of John Wilkins
Christopher O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Chris and Holli O'Donnell in Memory of John O'Donnell
Cheryl Mee in Memory of John O'Donnell
Anonymous (3)
Rosemary and Niles Hall in Memory of John O'Donnell
Anonymous in Memory of Jean Kogut
Kathleen Brown
Anne Ferguson
Janice and Richard Hudson
Carole and Chuck Resch
Terri Keane
Linda Wayne in Memory of John O'Donnell
Marge Hennelly in Memory ofAloysius J Bergin
Jim Garvey in Memory of John O'Donnell
Margaret Donahue in Memory of John O'Donnell
Fran Collins in Memory of John O'Donnell
Helen Leonard in Memory of John O'Donnell
Phillip Fenster
In Kind Donation
Doylestown Historical Society
ABOUT US
Serving Bucks, Hunterdon, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties
Thank you for supporting
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Contact Us: Support@BCCFCCC.org
DONATE
There are many ways to donate to the Bucks County Chapter of the Board of Associates of Fox Chase Cancer Center.
MAILING LIST
Please sign up for our mailing list
©2023 Bucks County Chapter Board of Associates, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
The Bucks County Chapter is a member organization of the Board of Associates of Fox Chase Cancer Center, part of Temple University Health System.
Terms of Use | Patients Rights | Privacy & Non-Discrimination Notices | TUHS Vendor Policies & Procedures | Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved