Young soccer player kicks cancer thanks to MCH treatment
Back in 2022, after two years of pandemic lockdown, life was finally getting back to normal for the Raso family.
Luca Raso, then three years old, was a pandemic baby who had spent most of his young life sheltered at home with his family. With his first day of Junior Kindergarten approaching, the Hamilton boy was excited to meet his teacher and make friends.
“Luca was finally going to be around other kids,” says his mom Nicole Raso, who is sharing his story for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September. “Luca didn’t really have friends at that point because he was so sheltered due to the pandemic.”
Then a week before the start of school, Luca developed a sudden onslaught of severe, relentless stomach pains. Nicole and her husband Michael immediately took Luca to their family doctor, who sent them to the emergency department at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS)’ McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH). Luca was admitted, and a series of tests led to a Wilms tumor cancer diagnosis.
“If it wasn’t for the people at McMaster Children’s Hospital, I don’t know how we would have made it through this.” — Luca’s mom, Nicole.
What’s a Wilms tumor?
Wilms is the most common type of cancerous kidney tumor in children, and is usually diagnosed in kids two to three years old. “It’s highly treatable, even in late stage cases when it has spread,” says Dr. Stacey Marjerrison, Luca’s oncologist at MCH.
Dr. Stacey Marjerrison, pediatric oncologist
The survival rate is high, even in late-stage cases. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, about 96 per cent of children treated for a Wilms tumor survive.
“For the vast majority of families, we can get children the treatment they need so that their cancer goes away and never comes back.” — Dr. Stacey Marjerrison, MCH pediatric oncologist
No place for blame
When Marjerrison first meets with parents of children diagnosed with cancer, she stresses three main points:
- They did nothing to cause their child’s cancer. Kids are growing quickly so their cells are dividing and multiplying rapidly. The vast majority of childhood cancers are caused by a DNA mutation that happens randomly.
- There’s nothing they could have done to prevent their child’s cancer. While adults may put themselves at increased risk through lifestyle choices like smoking or an unhealthy diet, childhood cancer is not caused by unhealthy habits of parents or children, says Marjerrison.
- Parents didn’t miss anything. Cancer can be very tricky to catch in kids, even when it’s late-stage, and most of the symptoms or signs are more commonly due to other things. For example, signs of a Wilms tumor include a big belly, which many toddlers already have. Other signs can include constipation or belly pains, both fairly common childhood ailments.
Likewise in leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, children typically present with fever and paleness, very common with childhood viruses, as well as leg pains that can also happen with growth spurts.
Cancer-free after treatment at MCH
Luca was found to have a stage 4 cancer that had spread to his liver. Treatment included surgery to remove the involved kidney, radiation to target the secondary cancer in his liver and abdomen, and chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells remaining in his body. Now cancer-free, he’s back at school, making new friends, and playing his favourite sport, soccer, every chance he gets.
“The most traumatic experience any parent can face is seeing their child fighting for their life,” says Nicole, adding that Marjerrison and their entire MCH team including surgeons, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, and child life specialists were a lifeline for their family.
“If it wasn’t for the people at McMaster Children’s Hospital, I don’t know how we would have made it through this,” says Nicole.
In June of 2023, Luca rang the bell at MCH to mark the end of treatment. “And he just finished his one-year post-treatment scans which were all clear with no evidence of disease,” says Nicole, adding that he continues to visit MCH regularly for follow-up appointments.
Chemotherapy and radiation can have long-term impacts, which is why young cancer patients are monitored for life. In Luca’s case, radiation puts him at increased risk of skin and colon cancer down the road, when he’s an adult. And the type of chemotherapy he received could affect his heart, so he receives regular echocardiograms to make sure it functions well throughout his lifetime.
Luca, 5, would play soccer 24 hours a day if he could, says his mom.
But those are maybes. For now, he’s a happy Grade 1 student, making new friends and kicking his soccer ball. “He’d play soccer 24 hours a day if he could,” says Nicole.
Hopeful news
Provincially, more than 80 per cent of kids diagnosed with any childhood cancer are cured, and become long-term survivors.
When people find out what Marjerrison does for a living, she says a common response is, `I could never do your job, it would be too sad.’ But in reality, her work is hopeful, as this high survival rate shows.
“For the vast majority of families, we can get children the treatment they need so that their cancer goes away and never comes back,” she says. “And as well as achieving impressive long-term survival rates, the quality of life for survivors has also improved over the years.”
While this is worth celebrating, it’s also important to remember the 20 per cent of families whose children relapse, and pass away.
This is what drives Marjerrison, her colleagues and HHS researchers to continue striving for even better survival rates and fewer long-term side effects for all childhood cancers through research leading to better treatments and cures.
Innovation and progress
Consider the advancements since chemotherapy came on the scene in the 1950s, says Marjerrison, who is also a cancer researcher.
“The progress has been mind-blowing. We’ve gone from having only conventional chemotherapy, which works well killing cancer cells, but can harm other fast dividing cells too, to being able to pair those with innovations like targeted treatments and immunotherapies like CAR T-cell therapy.”
Targeted therapies are being created for many types of cancer to recognize specific proteins contained only in those cancer cells – killing them, while leaving healthy cells alone. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps a person’s immune system fight cancer. CAR T-cell therapy is an immunotherapy that involves changing a patient’s T-cells in a laboratory so they’ll target and attack only their cancer cells.
“There’s constant innovation and change, and so much to learn, which is why I’m so passionate about pediatric cancer care and research,” says Marjerrison.
Paying it forward
Luca and his family are also passionate about improving the lives of young cancer patients. They’ve raised close to $21,000 for the HHS Foundation in support of MCH, including selling cookie decorating kits and T-shirts, holding bake sales and setting up an ice cream stand.
Nicole and Michael Raso with kids Luca and Olivia
Meanwhile, the hospital is also receiving provincial support to help grow MCH. Thanks to recent provincial investments to expand pediatric health care, MCH’s pediatric oncology team has focused on growing the program to better meet demand, including adding highly specialized roles. The addition of these experts help to decrease wait times for important services, for example, to increase neuropsychology testing assessments by 50 per cent.
“We’ve learned so much about life through Luca,” says Nicole, adding that he’s a wonderful big brother to three-year-old Olivia. “He’s a phenomenal human being, and we’re pleased as a family to pay it forward through fundraising for MCH.”
