Surrey families urged to give up clothes for good cause

Across the UK, around 1900 children are diagnosed with the disease every year,* but research is making more precious moments possible for more youngsters and their families.

Cancer Research UK’s scientific breakthroughs have helped to more than double children’s cancer survival in the UK since the 1970s and, today, around 8 in 10 will survive for at least 10 years.** However, there’s still much more than needs to be done.

Many children from Surrey are treated in London. Among the research being carried out there is:

Professor Chris Jones, a researcherat the Institute of Cancer Research, aims to find the genes that drive the development of hard-to-treat childhood brain tumours called gliomas.

Associate Professor Anindita Roy and Professor Anastasios Karadimitris from Imperial College London aim to develop a new approach for treating a specific type of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) with a signature genetic changed called an MLL rearrangement.

Dr Sam Behjati, based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Karin Straathof at University College London (UCL) and their team will be building an ‘atlas’ – a detailed guide to the genetic landscape of the cells that make up rhabdomyosarcoma tumours- using 250,000 rhabdomyosarcoma cells from 50 tumour samples.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is one of the many centres across the UK taking part in groundbreaking clinical trials coordinated by Cancer Research UK’s Children's Cancer Trials Team. These trials make innovative new treatments available to children with cancer in London.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Surrey, Lynn Daly, said: “Cancer is different in children and young people from the types of cancer that affect this age group to the long-term effects of treatment, such as hearing loss and infertility. So, it needs different and dedicated research which campaigns like Give Up Clothes for Good help to fund.

“Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are beating cancer. Step by step, day by day. More than 9 in 10 children and young people with cancer who receive cancer drugs on the NHS receive a drug linked to Cancer Research UK’s work. And our scientists are unlocking discoveries about these cancers and translating them into new and less toxic ways to treat them.

“But, despite huge progress, too many young lives are still lost to this devastating disease. By donating any quality clothes or goods to their local TK Maxx store, people in Surrey can help ensure more young people in the region - and across the UK – can live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”

TK Maxx is the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s research into children’s and young people’s cancers.

Since 2004, the retailer’s customers and associates have raised over £45 million to help improve survival and reduce long-term side effects.

This includes supporting the Cancer Research UK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence for the last six years, which brings together expert researchers from across the globe to accelerate the development of better treatments for children with brain tumours.

Give Up Clothes for Good is the UK’s longest running clothes collection. The public can donate at any TK Maxx store all year round. Find your local store here: https://www.tkmaxx.com/uk/en/store-finder

People can also show their support by wearing a gold ribbon badge – the awareness symbol of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – available from Cancer Research UK shops during September.

Find out more or donate online at cruk.org/childrenandyoungpeople