CRUMLIN
PROGRAMME 3 of 4: PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
The third documentary in the series focuses on the National Paediatric Centre of Haematology and Oncology. Every year, they treat almost 200 cases of childhood cancer, and while survival rate for paediatric cancer in Crumlin stands at 85%, some diseases remain rare and difficult to treat.
In this documentary we follow some of these rarer cases and observe the medical team as they balance risk against benefit and make complex ethical decisions in the best interest of the child. Necessary medical interventions often push the boundaries of what a child can tolerate and parents embark on difficult treatment regimes with uncertain outcomes. Each week these cases are discussed at a tumour board meeting, where difficult decisions are thrashed out by a multi disciplinary team.
Twelve year old Rachael Drought from Carlow was recently diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer in her upper arm. Osteosarcoma is rare, affecting only three to four children in Ireland every year, and international research into treatments has been slow. Rachael is treated under Consultant Oncologist Cormac Owens, and we follow Rachael’s progress as the medical team embark on her treatment; involving chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor in her arm. A keen horse rider, Rachael’s goal is to be able to get back on her horse and start riding again. The multidisicplinary team work hard to save Rachael’s arm and we follow as they investigate whether – or to what extent the cancer has spread.
Also under the care of Dr Owens is five year old Molly McNally from Balbriggan, who was diagnosed two years ago with high risk stage 4 neuroblastoma, a solid tumour in her abdomen. She has already undergone surgery to remove the tumour, but as part of a new clinical trial, she has multiple other treatment stages to wipe out the remaining disease. We follow Molly as she receives a bone marrow transplant. After attending St Luke’s Hospital for a course of radiation, we see Molly undergoing her final stage of her treatment in immunotherapy, a relatively new therapy which she receives in Crumlin.
Clodagh Cummins is a little girl who was diagnosed with infant leukaemia, a condition the team in Crumlin see very rarely. She has recently relapsed, and we follow as her consultant, Dr Aengus O’Marcaigh, works with his team to implement her course of treatment. Also under Dr O’Marcaigh’s team is 20 month old Emily Murphy. She is admitted to Crumlin with suspected leukaemia, and we follow as the team work on her diagnosis so that she can be treated.