Young Patient Makes Progress In Treating Rare Cancer

In January 2006, a brain scan showed that teenager Josh Sumner had a growth which was ultimately diagnosed as a rare form of cancer called Chordoma. The cancer is untreatable and patients suffering from it generally only live for about seven years after diagnosis. The average teen might have sunk into a depression after receiving this news. But Josh Sumner is not your average teen. The Duke University student decided to do something about the problem by working towards finding a cure for Chordoma. And he's come a long way in just the two years since his diagnosis. In fact, he's come further than many scientists and researchers in finding a cure for the disease. Some of Sumner's accomplishments include:

- He rapidly learned how to do lab work and soon had discovered new findings about the genes that are believed to be related to chordoma.

- "He has scoured the globe for cell lines cultured from live chordoma tissues, providing a vital resource for scientists testing possible treatments." (source)

- He established the Chordoma Foundation which assists in his research. He is currently trying to raise $3 million to improve the efforts of the foundation.

- He helped to sponsor the first ever international research meeting on the disease.

Of course, the greatest accomplishment of all is that Sumner is maintaining a positive forward-thinking attitude despite having contracted the rare cancer. Question of the Day: How likely do you think it is that Sumner's efforts will result in a cancer cure? photo link