Alexandra Lingas Cancio, Founder

Alexandra L. Cancio was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in April 2004. She was diagnosed with advanced stage disease and received multi-agent chemotherapy until she had peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in September 2004. Prior to that in August 2004, Alexandra underwent surgical resection of the tumor which was localized in the right adrenal gland; hence had right adrenalectomy along with the lymph node resection. After the stem cell transplant, she received radiation therapy to tumor bed....

Alexandra was monitored with multiple imaging studies including the CT scan of the chest abdomen and pelvis, bone scan, MIBG scan as well as the bone marrow aspirate and biopsies to determine the residual disease. Due to the persistent disease, she went to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia under Dr. John Maris' care, who is a Neuroblastoma expert in children in the US, where she received sequential radioimmunotherapy with MIBG on March 2005, After 2 treatments with MIBG plus rescue stemcell, she did not go on remission. She was then enrolled in a study using an oral drug called ABT 751, She took this medication and was stable for over 4 years until routine scans showed progression of the disease. ABT 751 was discontinued and she was put on a metronomic therapy using etoposide, cyclophosphamide, and temodar alternating every 3 weeks with either accutane and celebrex. This therapy kept her disease stable for over 2 years. When they did her scans/biopsies in July 2012, they found that the disease was again extensive. Monoclonal antibody therapy was started in August 2012 at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital but when she was admitted for her second cycle of treatment in September, she was febrile and started to have pain in her hip. MRI showed progressive disease where her pain was. Treatment was not given and she was referred back to CHOP for MIBG therapy. She received treatment which didn't help her. She was started on irinotecan/temodar in November 2012. She received three cycles of these medications. Follow-up scans were done in January 2013 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.