Features: A Message from Claes Nobel Meet your new Student Council Partner News College-Bound Advice Q & A on the SAT from the College Board Choosing a College Spotlight on Service Fulfilling F.U.N. at Day Camp for the Disabled Visiting the Philippines: A Life-changing Experience Non-Sibi: "Not for Oneself": Tsunami Relief Truths about Tutoring A Super Summer: Controlled Chaos at the Library Summer Experiences Summer Alternatives: Building the Mind AND the Body Summer Dreams: Friends and Fun at the World's Fair in Japan My Summer in Medical Research ICE in Summer: Georgia Tech Institute for Computer Education Learning about Leadership: National Student Leadership Conference Summertime... and the Living is Busy: from Houston, to Harvard, to Oxford My Summer in Medical Research Christopher Parish Hirschi Math-Science International Baccalaureate High School Class of December 2005 Wichita Falls, Texas This summer I had an unexpected chance to play an active role in a national medical research project. I participated in a phase III clinical research trial to determine if compressing the time interval between chemotherapy treatments improves outcome for child and adolescent patients with Ewing's sarcoma. Ewing's sarcoma is a type of aggressive pediatric bone cancer that affects 150 people in the United States each year. The majority of victims are between the ages of 14 and 17 and experience a period of rapid growth when the disease strikes. I participated in this research trial via Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, under the direction of Jeffrey R. Murray, M.D., Medical Director of the Adolescent Oncology Program. The trial was to determine whether reducing the amount of time between chemotherapy rounds by a week would improve, decrease, or have no effect on the survival rates for Ewing's sarcoma patients. I have a particular interest in the end result of this experiment because I have this type of cancer. To be more specific, I am a six-month survivor of Askin's tumor, a very rare form of Ewing's that attacks the ribs of tall, thin, white teenage males. The clinical trial for me consists of 14 rounds of infusions of five toxic drugs administered every 21 days, which is the current standard inpatient treatment protocol for Ewing's. Those in the experimental arm of the trial received the same medications, but at two-week intervals. Although it is far too early to determine the final outcome of this clinical trial, hopefully pediatric oncologists will learn which treatment interval is more effective for long-term survival. Editor's Note: We at NSHSS wish Christopher all the best and thank him for sharing his experience. << Back to Journal Home page