Jill Birch - Overview

The group is concerned with research into the aetiology of cancer in children. The ongoing research programme evolved from studies based on the Manchester Children's Tumour Registry (MCTR). The MCTR contains information on all patients with malignant and certain benign tumours aged under 15 years, who were resident within a defined geographical area in the North West of England at the time of diagnosis. The registry began operation on 1 September 1953, collecting detailed abstracts or photocopies of the clinical records for each child.

For solid tumours histopathological material is obtained and reviewed by pathologists who are expert in tumour and/or paediatric pathology. Diagnoses in leukaemias are based on bone marrow specimens. Material is retained by the registry, allowing diagnoses to be reviewed and revised in the light of developments in histopathological techniques and current ideas on classification. Final diagnoses are assigned to each case, taking all the available clinical and pathological information into account.

It is the policy of the Manchester paediatric oncology team that every child who has received radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or both, is regulary followed up indefinitely. Follow-up information is held by the registry.

The MCTR data have formed the basis for descriptive studies of childhood cancer and also studies of possible aetiological factors including genetic predisposition.

Current projects:
A Diagnostic Classification Scheme for Use in Studies of Childhood Cancer.
Studies of Genotype & Phenotype In Families and Patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome
Descriptive & Analytical Studies of Childhood Leukaemia & Lymphoma
Descriptive Analytical Studies of Childhood Solid Tumours
The United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study : North West Study Region

Cancer Research UK Group members:
Dr RJQ McNally, Mrs BI Whelpton, Dr D Pang, Dr RD Alston, Mr D Cairns, Mrs F McCarthy, Mrs J Achilles, Mrs J Rothwell, Mrs E Dale, Mr C Nikolaisen, Mrs JF Hogg