Funded by CCLG Special Named Fund SuperRu
Lead investigator: Dr Suzanne Turner, University of Cambridge
Award: £65,231
Funded April 2020
Lymphoma is a cancer which develops in the immune system. It is caused when white blood cells called lymphocytes (infection-fighting cells) start to grow in an abnormal uncontrolled way in the body’s lymph nodes. Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) is a subtype that affects an immune system cell called a T cell. Within this subtype, there are many different sub-forms which are identified by different gene or protein markers. The large majority of the ALCL types of lymphoma affect children and young adults. It is important for clinicians to understand as much as possible about the different sub-forms of lymphoma, as this helps them the decide the best treatment options for a child with lymphoma. Dr Suzanne Turner is conducting research which will help to support the development of more effective tailored treatments for children with this rarer sub-form of cancer.
Children with ALCL usually have a form of lymphoma where a protein called Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK+) is activated. Treatment for children with this sub-type of cancers include drugs which work by stopping this protein. Adults typically don’t have the ALK+ form, but instead a range of other genetic alterations are known to be present, including FRK, TP63, DUSP22 and MSC. It is important for clinicians to know which of these genetic changes are present in the tumours as these affect the patient’s prognosis and treatment decisions. As yet, there has been no research into children where their ALCL lymphoma doesn’t have the Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK-) protein marker. Little is known whether the tumours from these children also show other genetic mutations, and how this might affect their prognosis.
Dr Turner will work collaboratively with the European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (EICNHL) to analyse a collection of tumours from more than 25 children across Europe who have the ALCL ALK- form of lymphoma. Her project will use a technique called fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) together with next generation sequencing to learn more about the genetic markers present in this ALCL subtype. She will identify whether children with ALCL, ALK- also harbour other genetic changes in their tumours, and what affect this has on how their cancer progresses. This knowledge can help to guide clinicians about how best to treat children with this rarer sub-form of lymphoma.
Project updates
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