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Research
Improving compliance with swallowing exercise to decrease radiotherapy-related dysphagia in patients with head and neck cancerDysphagia, one of the most common complications in head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with radiotherapy, can severely affect patients’ quality of life. Currently, because no “gold standard” treatment exists, swallowing exercise remains the main rehabilitation strategy for dysphagia. However, patients’ compliance with long-term swallowing exercise is only 40%, thus, greatly compromising outcomes. This article aims to analyze thefactors influencing swallowing exercise compliance in patients with HNC and explains strategies developed to date for improved rehabilitation outcomes.

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Pioneering new treatments for leukaemia in children with Down syndromeA team of world-leading scientists has secured $5 million in funding from the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society to advance the fight against leukaemia in children with Down syndrome.

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Cancer immunotherapy in a tablet a step closer thanks to CUREator grantResearchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia and UWA will use a $500,000 CUREator grant to progress the development of the first cancer immunotherapy in a tablet.

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The Kids Research Institute Australia Cancer Researcher recognised in 2021 Business Events Perth Aspire AwardsOne of The Kids Research Institute Australia’s leading young researchers will travel to the world’s premier conference on childhood brain cancer.

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Researchers receive crucial near miss fundingCongratulations to three outstanding The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers who have received second chance WA health funding designed to support researchers who have narrowly missed out on highly competitive national funding.
Research
Constitutive Activation of RAS/MAPK Pathway Cooperates with Trisomy 21 and Is Therapeutically Exploitable in Down Syndrome B-cell LeukemiaChildren with Down syndrome (constitutive trisomy 21) that develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (DS-ALL) have a 3-fold increased likelihood of treatment-related mortality coupled with a higher cumulative incidence of relapse, compared with other children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).
Research
The diabetes management experiences questionnaire: Psychometric validation among adults with type 1 diabetesTo examine the psychometric properties of the Diabetes Management Experiences Questionnaire (DME-Q). Adapted from the validated Glucose Monitoring Experiences Questionnaire, the DME-Q captures satisfaction with diabetes management irrespective of treatment modalities.
Research
A novel transcriptional signature identifies T-cell infiltration in high-risk paediatric cancerMolecular profiling of the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME) has enabled the rational choice of immunotherapies in some adult cancers. In contrast, the TIME of paediatric cancers is relatively unexplored. We speculated that a more refined appreciation of the TIME in childhood cancers, rather than a reliance on commonly used biomarkers such as tumour mutation burden (TMB), neoantigen load and PD-L1 expression, is an essential prerequisite for improved immunotherapies in childhood solid cancers.
Research
“I Don’t Get to Play With My Mum Anymore”: Experiences of Siblings Aged 8–12 of Children With Cancer: A Qualitative StudySiblings of children with cancer have been shown to experience disruption in multiple domains including family, school, and friendships. Existing literature on siblings' experiences focuses on older children or on a broad range of ages.
Research
Population-level 5-year event-free survival for children with cancer in AustraliaEvent-free survival considers other adverse events in addition to mortality. It therefore provides a more complete understanding of the effectiveness and consequences of treatment than standard survival measures, but is rarely reported at the population level for childhood cancer.