Bradley Lowery’s mum warns new neuroblastoma treatment may not work as they wait to see if he can get it
THE mother of brave Bradley Lowery whose fight against a rare cancer has won hearts across the country has warned his potential new treatment is not a "miracle cure".
The five-year-old, who led the England team out at Wembley last month, has been picked for a new immunotherapy trial.
The Sunderland fan, from County Durham, has neuroblastoma - a solid tumour which makes up 8 per cent of the total number of children's cancers in the UK but its cause remains unknown.
Last night a message on his campaign's Facebook site from his mum Gemma urged caution after she met specialist medical staff.
She said: "Myself and my husband had a meeting with the medical staff yesterday at Great Ormond Street about the new trial Bradley has been accepted on.
"It has been made clear to everyone that the trial is on phase 1. This means that it is in very early stages and can not be deemed as a miracle cure.
"There's is no evidence yet to say it will work, there is a high possibility it won't work.
"No decision has been made yet if Bradley will go on this trial as it will all depend on the scan results on Friday and other tests to see if Bradley is strong enough.
"Thank you for your continued support."
A previous message by Gemma, explained: "This trial is been funded by Cancer Research UK.
"It is called CAR T-cell trial.
"It is only phase one which means it is still in the very early stages but it has shown promise in other types of cancer.
"Bradley has scans next week to see if his current treatment is working, therefore we can not decide what's next until we get the scan results.
"We are hoping and praying for good news, please keep him in your prayers."
The youngster has struck up a friendship with England striker Jermain Defoe and other Black Cats stars who visited him in hospital when he was undergoing life-prolonging treatment.
When Bradley was being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, Defoe gave him a cuddle and the young fan fell asleep in his arms.
He was cheered up a couple of days later when he felt a little better and Defoe popped by.
Bradley was invited to the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year show and a shot he struck in the warm-up during Sunderland's game against Chelsea was picked as Match Of The Day's goal of the month.
Just last week he cancelled a hospital visit from his "best friend" Defoe "as he didn't want him to see him poorly", according to a tweet.
HOW DOES IMMUNOTHERAPY WORK?
The pioneering new treatment is arguably one of the most promising breakthroughs in cancer therapies since the development of chemotherapies in the 1940s.
The treatment "wakes up" a patient's own immune system, to help it fight cancer.
This can be done in several ways.
One form of immunotherapy stimulates the body's own immune system to work harder, to attack cancer cells.
While, another route, gives the immune system a manmade boost from specific proteins, to spark it into action.
How does the immune system work?
The body's immune system is our defence barrier, protecting us from diseases including cancer. In a healthy person, the immune system spots and destroys faulty cells.
But, in some cases, these cells can escape detection, and develop into tumours.
How does immunotherapy work?
A relatively new treatment, immunotherapy works by re-awakening the immune system.
By doing so, it helps the body fight the disease from within.
Scientists believe the benefits go further still.
They believe by engaging the immune system, it can be possible to make the body "remember" the cancer, preventing it returning.
Will immunotherapy help me?
Immunotherapy works better for some types of cancer than others.
There are currently clinical trials ongoing to assess the effectiveness of the treatment for patients with - among others - these cancers:
- bladder
- prostate
- bowel
- breast
- ovarian
- lung
- melanoma
Source: Cancer Research UK