Brain Tumor Center Receives Deutsch Foundation Gift

The Rory David Deutsch Foundation has made a $2 million gift to the Brain Tumor Center at Duke to establish the Rory David Deutsch Memorial Endowment for Pediatric Glioma Research.

In 1998, 7-year old Rory Deutsch died of a brain stem glioma, a type of pediatric brain tumor. His courage and optimism in the face of inevitable death was an inspiration to all who knew him. When Rory passed away, his family and friends established the Rory David Deutsch Foundation as a living tribute to the warm-hearted boy who touched so many in his short life. The Foundation is dedicated to supporting advances in pediatric brain tumor research to benefit children afflicted with this deadly disease.

According to Mindy and Ross Deutsch, Rory's parents, "The Foundation has three long-term goals: to continue raising money to support research projects in pediatric brain tumors; to increase awareness through information campaigns and events; and to foster a 'kids making a difference' philosophy.

"With children as the focus, we feel we are teaching them one of life's most valuable lessons: the importance of helping others and giving back to the community. We have been overwhelmed by the extraordinary support and generosity extended by so many individuals, groups, and, especially, children. We're especially pleased to be able to support research efforts at the Brain Tumor Center at Duke, the foremost such program in the world."

Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death during childhood, and brain tumors – the most common type of pediatric cancer – have the highest mortality rate, three times greater than that of leukemia. Proportionately, brain stem gliomas account for 10 to 20 percent of all brain tumor diagnoses. The cause of primary pediatric brain tumors is unknown; 2,000 new cases of pediatric brain cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and – alarmingly – its incidence is on the rise.

Early detection of pediatric brain cancer is difficult, since symptoms are similar to those of common childhood illnesses. There are no prevention strategies, and cures are rare; in the case of brain stem gliomas, most are not surgically accessible. Children who do survive often experience poor quality of life due to neurological disorders, retardation, or psychological problems.

The Rory David Deutsch Brain Tumor Research Program will support both laboratory and clinical investigations into causes and cures for pediatric brain tumors. On the laboratory side, the Brain Tumor Center's dynamic research teams are tackling a variety of challenges, including overcoming resistances to chemotherapy treatments; developing new chemotherapy approaches for treating malignant gliomas; understanding the causes of pediatric gliomas; and creating vaccine strategies for pediatric brain tumors. Various clinical investigations are focusing on the use of different, specific chemotherapies for a broad range of pediatric brain tumors, including brain stem gliomas.

"The generosity of the Rory David Deutsch Foundation will enable us to increase our research efforts dramatically to pursue better treatment strategies for children with brain stem tumors," said Dr. Henry Friedman, co-director of the Brain Tumor Center at Duke. "Rory may leave, as one of his legacies, a more optimistic approach and outcome for children with this currently untreatable tumor. We are grateful for this magnificent contribution to our war on brain tumors."