Princess Máxima Center for Paediatric Oncology
Immune therapies for children with cancer
Every year, about 600 children in the Netherlands are diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, one in four of these children dies. The Princess Máxima Center is the largest children's cancer center in Europe. It is not an ordinary hospital, but a research hospital. All children with cancer in the Netherlands are treated there and all childhood cancer research takes place there. Our support is focused on their promising research into immunotherapy, a new horizon in cancer treatment that offers hope for a better future for children with cancer.
Thanks to traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the survival rate of children with cancer has steadily improved in recent decades. Immunotherapy is a relatively new type of treatment that empowers the body's own immune system to fight cancer. In recent years, immunotherapies are being developed for an increasing number of childhood cancers to improve treatment, on their own or in combination with existing therapy. Because immunotherapy targets the cancer, this type of treatment is also promising for improving children's quality of life during and after treatment.
‘We’re increasingly hearing from specialists that they are hopeful about the development of better treatment methods for childhood cancer. Immunotherapy seems to be the most successful in this and we are happy to contribute to enable research into it.’
- Inge Wessels
Sebastiaan van Heesch's research group has already made encouraging breakthroughs in recognising new targets for immunotherapy, which could pave the way for this innovative treatment method.
‘With help from Reggeborgh Foundation, we can work on improving treatments for children with cancer. We are already finding the first leads, which is hugely promising. Therefore, we look forward to the future with great confidence.’
- Sebastiaan van Heesch
Prinses Máxima Centrum, photocredits: Martin Hols
Prinses Máxima Centrum, photocredits: Marco Hofsté