Fundraising in support of a Hitchin schoolgirl who underwent treatment for cancer has helped fund two new research projects into the disease.
In September 2019, when aged six, Hattie Brattan was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue, having presented with symptoms of a fever and stomach ache in the weeks leading up to the diagnosis.
Her mum, Helen Birks, said: "Hattie was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in 2019, with a large tumour in her abdomen.
"She had nine rounds of intensive chemotherapy and 28 sessions of proton therapy in Manchester, then one year of maintenance chemotherapy.
"Now, Hattie is 11 and has a residual tumour that is monitored regularly with scans, but thankfully is currently stable.
"Due to the cancer and her treatment, which finished in March 2021, she had a range of long-term side effects which she is learning to live with.
"However, Hattie is a happy and energetic young girl who is determined to enjoy life."
A year after Hattie was diagnosed, Helen set up Hattie's Rainbow of Hope Appeal - a Special Named Fund at Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) - to raise money for much-needed research into rhabdomyosarcoma.
Helen explained: "The treatments Hattie received saved her life and we are eternally grateful. However, these treatments are harsh and can themselves cause lifelong side effects.
"We wanted to do anything we could to help find kinder and more effective treatments for other children in the future."
Helen said the fundraising has been a whole family affair, with Hattie getting involved herself.
She said: "Hattie loves fundraising. We have had rainbow-themed non-uniform days at her school, sponsored events, and sold badges with her fund’s logo on.
"We were incredibly lucky to be supported by Hitchin Belles Football Club, who took part in a sponsored walk. They raised a lot of money and Hattie loved getting involved, even while on treatment. The support from the community has been great."
After raising almost £40,000, Hattie's Rainbow of Hope Appeal has been able to fund two new rhabdomyosarcoma research projects, together with other CCLG Special Named Fund families.
Led by Professor Janet Shipley, at the Institute of Cancer Research, and Dr Darrell Green, at the University of East Anglia, the new projects aim to improve the treatment and care of young rhabdomyosarcoma patients.
The new projects are an important milestone for Helen and her family.
She said: "Once Hattie finished her treatment, we needed to find a new normal in our lives. We needed something positive to focus on and we have all enjoyed being involved in raising money.
"Learning about the research projects that we have helped fund gives us hope for better treatments for other children and families in the future."
Professor Shipley hopes to find a better way to predict how aggressive rhabdomyosarcoma will be at the time of diagnosis, so all patients receive the right amount of treatment. Currently, it can be difficult for doctors to know how best to treat certain patients because there is no way to assess how intensive their treatment needs to be.
She said: "This project aims to identify markers that can identify rhabdomyosarcoma patients that are at greater or lesser risk of succumbing to their disease with current treatments."
The research team has already found markers that are only found in certain conditions in tumours, like low oxygen levels. In this project, they will test which of these markers is best able to predict risk for patients. This could one day improve the treatment and care of high-risk patients and spare low-risk patients extra toxicity.
Professor Shipley added: "We are truly grateful for the family’s support, and their hard work required to raise the funds for this project.
"We are very excited to pursue our research using the state-of-the-art technology and analyses that we have established. We really hope and expect this will improve the outlook for future rhabdomyosarcoma patients."
Dr Green’s project focuses on the fusion-positive type of rhabdomyosarcoma, a type where patients have one of two mutant genes.
He said: "Our project is intended to better understand the finer details of rhabdomyosarcoma molecular biology, so that we can eventually develop new medicines that target specific abnormalities. This approach means that medicines will be both more effective and gentler on the rest of the body."
His team recently discovered that the 3D structure of the mutant gene's instructions, called RNA, is really important for cancer development, behaviour and responses to treatment. In this project, Dr Green will look at what difference the 3D shape makes to the gene and to different patients.
He said: "We hope that our small piece of the puzzle will combine with the efforts of others across the world to make a difference to children with this cancer.
"Cancer research is all about working together and I’m excited to add our new take to the big picture of rhabdomyosarcoma."
Sarah Evans, head of research at CCLG, said: "We are incredibly moved by our Special Named Fund families’ dedication to funding research and raising awareness about childhood cancer. Thanks to their dedication, and the support of their communities, we can support pioneering projects like these."
Find out more about Hattie’s Rainbow of Hope Appeal at specialnamedfunds.cclg.org.uk/hatties-rainbow-of-hope-appeal/.
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