Leeds Children's Hospital: Family of girl with rare and aggressive cancer given hope by new drug trial

Six-year-old Dulcie was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer with a 40-50 per cent chance of long-term survival at diagnosis, in December 2021. She was referred to Leeds Children’s Hospital for specialist treatment, becoming the first child in the UK to participate in a new drug trial.

Debbie O’Kelly, Dulcie’s mum, has said the trial has given her family hope. She said: “We’re incredibly grateful that Dulcie has been given the opportunity to take part in ground-breaking research trials as part of her treatment. As a family, this also gives us hope for the future that there’s a chance for Dulcie to get better and lead a full, happy life, which is what every mother wants for their child.”

Dulcie added: “I don’t really like the treatment, but I love seeing the doctors and nurses at the hospital and I know it’s helping me kick cancer’s butt. When my mummy told me I was going to be part of the trial I said ‘I’m helping other children with cancer aren’t I, mummy?’".

There are currently more than 1,000 children involved in over 100 active clinical trials at the National Institute for Health and Care (NIHR) Research Leeds Clinical Research Facility, funded by Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Leeds Children’s Hospital and the University of Leeds have recently announced the launch of the CHORAL (Children’s Health Outcomes Research at Leeds) Research Centre. It will be the biggest children’s research programme ever undertaken by the hospital and Leeds Hospitals Charity is providing £2.6m in initial funding to support new research projects that will be undertaken at the centre.

The charity is joining forces with the University of Leeds, who are investing £2.4m to help kickstart the research, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who have contributed £500,000.

Adam Glaser, director of the CHORAL Research Centre, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to establish a world-leading research centre in the city, led by Leeds Children’s Hospital. Through a clear focus on child health, the CHORAL team will deliver truly transformative research to improve the lives of future generations in Yorkshire, and beyond.”