How is MIBG therapy performed?
A child receiving MIBG therapy is given a radioactive dose of MIBG delivered through an infusion over a couple of hours. Then comes one of the most challenging parts of the treatment: the child must stay in a lead-lined room — alone — for approximately three days, or until their radioactive levels are safe.
How is MIBG used to treat cancer?
There are really 2 ways in which MIBG treatment is used. In both methods, the MIBG chemical is attached to an iodine molecule that has been made radioactive. The radioactivity can be either a low-dose or a high-dose.
When will my child receive the MIBG treatment?
This happens about 3-4 weeks before receiving the MIBG treatment. You and your child will also meet, face to face, with our entire team two weeks before treatment to ensure that all of your needs can be met and that your child can handle the many sometimes difficult aspects of MIBG treatment. What happens during treatment?
What are the long-term effects/risks of treatment with MIBG?
What are the long-term effects/risks of treatment with MIBG? 1 Low function thyroid gland, 2 Difficulty making blood cells for a period of time. 3 Rare different types of cancer. 4 Rare, but brief swelling of the salivary glands.
How does MIBG treatment work?
MIBG (meta-iodobenzylguanidine) is a molecule that doctors combine with low-dose radioactive iodine to look for neuroblastoma. After it's injected into a patient, the MIBG is absorbed by neuroblastoma cells. Then, the patient lies on a table while a special camera or scanner moves over their body and takes pictures.
How long does MIBG therapy take?
The procedure used to put the MIBG inside your child's body is called an infusion, and it takes less than 2 hours.
What does MIBG stand for?
MIBG stands for Meta-Iodo-Benzyl-Guanidine. The treatment uses a radioactive form of iodine called iodine 131. The radioactive iodine circulates through your body in the bloodstream. The neuroendocrine tumour (NET) cells pick up the radioactive iodine wherever they are in the body.
How long can you live with neuroblastoma?
Low-risk group: Children in the low-risk group have a 5-year survival rate that is higher than 95%. Intermediate-risk group: Children in the intermediate-risk group have a 5-year survival rate of around 90% to 95%. High-risk group: Children in the high-risk group have a 5-year survival rate of around 50%.
How much does MIBG therapy cost?
This is expensive (US $8000--16,000 per year), and treatment may be for many years.
How long does it take to get results from MIBG scan?
An MIBG scan is usually done in the nuclear medicine department of a hospital as an outpatient procedure (you will not stay overnight). The test is done in stages and takes 2 to 4 days to complete.
Is neuroblastoma curable?
Neuroblastoma grows and reacts differently to treatment in different people. This is called the disease's clinical behavior. Some children are cured with surgery alone or surgery with chemotherapy (see Types of Treatment). Others have a very aggressive disease that is resistant to treatment and difficult to cure.
What age is neuroblastoma diagnosed?
The average age of children when they are diagnosed is about 1 to 2 years. Rarely, neuroblastoma is detected by ultrasound even before birth. About 9 out of 10 neuroblastomas are diagnosed by age 5. It is rare in people over the age of 10 years.
What is a neuroblastoma tumor?
Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys.
Is neuroblastoma a death sentence?
The 5-year survival rate for high-risk Neuroblastoma is 50%. 60% of patients with high-risk Neuroblastoma will relapse. Once in relapse, the survival rate drops to less than 5%. There are no known cures for relapsed Neuroblastoma.
Can you survive relapsed neuroblastoma?
Relapsed neuroblastoma has been considered invariably fatal in the past [1], with a median overall survival time for patients with refractory neuroblastoma of only 27.9 months and with an overall survival of only 11.0 months for patients with relapsed disease [2].
Can you survive a neuroblastoma?
For children with low-risk neuroblastoma, the 5-year survival rate is higher than 95%. For children with intermediate-risk neuroblastoma, the 5-year survival rate is between 90% and 95%. For children with high-risk neuroblastoma, the-5-year survival rate is around 50%.
What is MIBG used for?
I-131 MIBG is a drug that is used to treat neuroblastoma. It is a clear liquid, made of two materials: metaiodobenzylguanidine, or MIBG, and I-131, a radioactive material. The MIBG carries the radioactive I-131 specifically to your child’s tumors, where it targets the cancer cells over many weeks.
What medication is given before MIBG?
Your child will also receive an IV anti-nausea medication, such as Zofran, before the MIBG treatment starts.
How long after MIBG can I take potassium iodide?
This protects the thyroid from I-131. Your child will continue to take this for a total of six weeks after MIBG treatment.
What is MIBG used for?
I-131 MIBG can be used to treat high-risk neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumor that begins in nerve tissue of infants and very young children .
How long does a child have to stay in the MIBG suite?
At Texas Children’s Cancer Center, we will require your child to stay in the MIBG suite for about 5 days. The MIBG therapy will begin on Day 1 and much of the radiation is expelled from the body (through urine) the same day.
Does Texas Children's Cancer Center have a room for MIBG?
As a leader in family-centered care, Texas Children’s Cancer Center will provide the necessary care to address both the physical and emotional aspect of your child’s well-being during MIBG therapy. A comfortable adjoining room for the parent with a view of your child’s room at all times and the means to communicate through iPad and intercom is provided. You will be able to enter your child’s room with protective clothing when needed. The radiation that you receive will be measured at all times to keep you safe.
Is MIBG tagged with I-131?
Since neuroblastoma cells absorb MIBG, it is tagged with I-131 and administered intravenously. These tumor cells are killed by the radiation emitted, while sparing tissue that does not absorb any MIBG. Thus, this therapy tends to be more effective, less painful and better tolerated than other therapies.
What is MIBG therapy?
MIBG therapy is an up-and-coming treatment for advanced-stage neuroblastoma. This type of childhood cancer is very difficult to treat, with close to two out of three children succumbing to their disease.
Who is Michael Armstrong?
Baldrick’s Foundation awarded an infrastructure grant to Michael Armstrong, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of pediatric hematology/oncology at Duke University Medical Center, to help establish their MIBG Treatment Program. In July 2010, they performed their first MIBG treatment, becoming one of only a handful of institutions able to offer this option to patients.
Is MIBG safe?
By adding radioactive iodine to MIBG, this therapy can be delivered directly to the tumor, no matter where it is in the body. MIBG can be a safer therapy than traditional radiation therapy, as it delivers the radiation directly to the tumor and minimizes exposure to healthy tissues.
Is MIBG a treatment for neuroblastoma?
New therapeutic options are needed. MIBG is a molecule that is readily absorbed by neuroblastoma cells. By adding radioactive iodine to MIBG, this therapy can be delivered directly to the tumor, ...
Is MIBG better than radiation?
MIBG can be a safer therapy than traditional radiation therapy, as it delivers the radiation directly to the tumor and minimizes exposure to healthy tissues. Additionally, it can radiate metastatic tumors throughout the body in one treatment, which is much more difficult with traditional radiation therapy.
Why is MIBG important?
While radiation can be effective in shrinking tumors and destroying cancer cells, it can also damage healthy tissue. Because I131-MIBG therapy is a radioactive medication, a designated room and specific equipment are necessary when delivering the therapy.
What is MIBG in neuroblastoma?
MIBG stands for meta-iodobenzylguanidine — a molecule that is actively absorbed by neuroblastoma cells. When radioactive iodine is attached to MIBG, the combination is referred to as I131-MIBG.
How long does it take to get I131-MIBG?
The infusion is painless and takes between 90 minutes and two hours. MIBG carries the radioactive iodine directly to the neuroblastoma cells. The tumor cells take up the MIBG and radiation.
What is the I131-MIBG?
I131-MIBG therapy is one step in a complex treatment plan for children with relapsed or difficult-to-treat neuroblastoma and is also being tested in newly diagnosed high-risk neuroblastoma patients.
Why do I131-MIBG patients have to limit their time with each child?
Medical staff and parents are required to follow strict guidelines in order to control their exposure to radiation. Because the I131-MIBG medical team cares for many patients who receive this therapy, they must limit their time with each child in order to avoid too much exposure to radiation.
Where was Charlie treated?
So Charlie was treated on a pilot clinical trial that was conducted here at the University of Chicago as part of a Children's Oncology Group clinical trial. And what we were piloting was whether or not the addition of a radio labeled new medication called MIBG would improve the outcome for children with newly diagnosed neuroblastoma.
What is MIBG used for?
MIBG (meta-iodobenzylguanidine) is a molecule that doctors combine with low-dose radioactive iodine to look for neuroblastoma.
How long does it take for a MIBG to go into a child's vein?
MIBG goes into a child’s vein through an IV or central line. The MIBG runs into the body in under 2 hours and does not hurt. Then the child will then stay in the hospital for a few days and be watched closely.
Does MIBG kill neuroblastoma?
MIBG given with higher-dose radioactive iodine can treat neuroblastoma. It is absorbed by neuroblastoma cells and is radioactive enough to kill them. Kids usually do well with this treatment because it doesn’t cause as many side effects as other cancer treatments and specifically attacks neuroblastoma cells.
Is MIBG radioactive?
MIBG treatment is radioactive, so parents must limit their exposure. Despite having limited time with their child, there are many creative ways to help kids feel connected. The heath care team will review these and the time limits with each family. The room where a child gets MIBG has a parent room attached to it to let parents be nearby but stay safe.
Can children get sick from MIBG?
Most children don’t feel sick during MIBG treatment and tolerate it well. But side effects can include:
Does MIBG affect bone marrow?
MIBG causes fewer problems in nearby healthy cells because only tumor cells absorb it. It does, though, affect the bone marrow (which makes blood cells). So patients need an IV infusion of their own bone marrows cells (stem cells) a few weeks after MIBG therapy. These cells are collected before treatment.
What is MIBG used for?
When radioiodine labeled, MIBG can be used for both diagnosis and treatment .
Can MIBG be used for neuroblastoma?
When radioiodine labeled, MIBG can be used for both diagnosis and treatment. This article describes the history of MIBG use in neuroblastoma, including its utility as an imaging modality for diagnosis as well as the varied ways in which is it included in the multimodal treatment algorithm. Keywords: (131)I, MIBG, childhood cancer; Neuroblastoma.
