Boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer; indigenous man was murdered in 2022
In 3 days, the campaign to raise funds for the treatment of Pedro, son of indigenous worker Bruno Pereira, murdered in 2022, reached the target of R$2 million. The 5-year-old boy was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, stage 4 cancer, and will undergo a bone marrow autotransplant.
After the transplant, Pedro will need the drug betadinutuximab, imported and not yet offered by the SUS (Unified Health System).
The boy's mother, anthropologist and director of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, Beatriz Matos, celebrated the result. “We are very happy. In just 3 days, the Save Pedro campaign reached its goal of R$2 million. This is amazing! The medicine for treatment is guaranteed. Thanks to everyone who engaged and collaborated with us“, he said.
Beatriz Matos wants to take advantage of the wave of solidarity to help more people. “Let's take advantage of all this engagement to do even more. Keep donating. The money raised beyond the target will all be used to help other children who face the same problem as Pedro, through the AnaJu Institute. Let's save Pedro's friends. Make every child happier”, he stated.
WHAT IS NEUROBLASTOMA
This type of cancer is the 3rd most common among children, after leukemia and brain tumors. It is the most common extracranial solid tumor among the pediatric population, representing 8% to 10% of all childhood tumors.
Increased abdominal volume is one of the possible symptoms of neuroblastoma. Therefore, according to experts, the tumor can be discovered when a child complains of pain in the stomach, discomfort in the chest or muscle pain. It is more common for it to occur up to 5 years of age.
The drug betadinutuximab, whose commercial name in Brazil is Qarziba, is already registered with Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) and is being studied at USP (University of São Paulo) and at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.
The research attempts to reduce the dose of the medicine in treatment by 20%, which could make the medication cheaper. Qarziba helps the immune system identify possible new cancer cells.
With information from Brazil Agency.
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