Father fights to find cure for his son’s cancer

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Breakthrough in Brain Tumor Treatment

Introduction

Frederico Goldsztein was just nine years old when he was first diagnosed with a life-altering brain tumor called Medulloblastoma, the most common brain cancer for children.

Frederico, now 17, was living a healthy life with his family in Brazil. He loved school and loved to read. His father, Fernando Goldsztein said he has read every Agatha Christie novel. Then came Frederico’s diagnosis.

“It’s simply, the worst thing that that, that a father or mother can hear,” Fernando told Fox News. 

“It’s very sad to see a kid suffering from cancer, particularly because they have the whole life ahead of them.”

The Medulloblastoma Initiative

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But there is now a bit of hope for the 500 families a year whose children have been diagnosed with this form of brain tumor: a possible breakthrough thanks to the fundraising efforts of a determined father and the doctors at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. Fernando, a cancer survivor himself, travelled from Brazil to the US to find a breakthrough cure for his son and a way to minimize the brain damage and side effects caused by treating this deadly form of brain cancer. 

“Technology and medicine have evolved tremendously in the last decades, decades, but unfortunately not for kids with brain tumors,” Fernando said. 

Many of the patients relapse. That’s what happened to his son Frederico.

When he relapsed in 2019, Fernando teamed up with a leading children’s brain tumor specialist in the U.S. and the Medulloblastoma Initiative was born.

“We put together what we thought was a dream team of the best investigators around the world to focus specifically on one form of Medulloblastoma,” explained Dr. Roger Packer, the Director of the Brain Tumor Program at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C.

“Fernando essentially asked me or challenged me, could we come up with a different approach to try to create better therapies quicker? And he knew very well the way that medicine worked. It sometimes took between ten and 15 years to go from a discovery to a new treatment, to proving that the treatment is better.”

Current Situation and Future Prospects

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Medulloblastoma is the most common form of brain cancer in children accounting for 20% of all childhood brain tumors. 500 new cases are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. The current treatment developed in the 1980’s, leaves kids with lifelong cognitive and developmental problems.

Now they are on the verge of two FDA approved treatments that could result in a cure and fewer side effects for children facing treatment: one which changes the immunology of the tumor, using vaccines like the mRNA technology used to create the COVID vaccine.

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“We hope they’ll be approved soon. And within that, two, two and a half windows should have novel therapies for children with a subset of Medulloblastoma, which again, should be generalizable in the very near future to other brain tumors,” Dr. Packer explained. 

Conclusion

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Every dollar raised contributes to the scientific research behind a cure.

“We know that we have a long way ahead of us, and we still need more support and more people helping us to help all of these kids, Fernando said. “They know that their kids have no options. So they ask me to help them. I’m not a doctor, I cannot help them. Some of them I send to Doctor Packer. They see our initiative as their only hope.”

About the Author

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
   • Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease.
   • Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
   • Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment.

3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.
   • Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP.

Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 4: Quality Education, and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s content, the specific targets identified are:

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
• Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
• Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, there are indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator 3.4.1: Mortality rate attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease.
• Indicator 3.4.2: Suicide mortality rate.
• Indicator 4.7.1: Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment.
• Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: foxnews.com

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