As advances in treating pediatric cancers allow more and more patients to live into adulthood, doctors are increasingly concerned about the long-term health effects of the very treatments that saved them as children. 
 
 Researchers found, in a large study of adult survivors of childhood cancer, that more than 95% suffered from a chronic health condition by the age of 45, including pulmonary, hearing, cardiac and other problems related either to their cancer or the cancer treatment. 
 
 Many serious health conditions went undiagnosed until the participants joined the study, the researchers found, raising questions about whether survivors are receiving proper follow-up care given their higher risks for certain health problems later in life. 
 
 "Doctors may not be thinking about a heart-valve disorder in someone in his 30s, but if you had radiation to your chest at 10, this is something to think about," said Melissa M. Hudson, principal investigator and one of the authors of the study, which was published in JAMA. 
 
 The findings are based on a large, long-term health assessment involving more than 1,700 adults who were diagnosed and treated for cancer at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis between 1962 and 2001. Study participants, who were at least 10 years past diagnosis, agreed to come back to St. Jude to undergo a battery of tests and physical examinations. In addition to overall health, researchers looked at some specific risks patients faced depending on the kind of cancer they had or the types of chemotherapy and radiation used to treat them. 
 
 The authors reported that among survivors who had undergone treatments associated with pulmonary risks, 65% were then found to have pulmonary problems. Of those exposed to cardiotoxic therapies, 56.4% turned out to have cardiac abnormalities. Many of these conditions were diagnosed as a result of the evaluations done for the study. 
 
 Dr. Hudson, of St. Jude and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, said oncologists believe some cancer treatments accelerate the aging process of organs. Researchers found that survivors who had received radiation to the brain exhibited mild cognitive deficits typically seen in older populations. Radiation to the chest often led to heart-valve changes, including scarring and leaky valves. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 60 years old, but given that the average age was 33, the health problems were considered striking. 
 
 The general population also faces greater health risks as it ages, but the study authors noted that the percentage of relatively young survivors with one or more chronic health conditions was "extraordinarily high." 
 
 "The prevalence of chronic health conditions is even higher than most of us would have anticipated," said Louis S. Constine, vice chairman of radiation oncology at University of Rochester Medical Center, who wasn't involved in the study. 
 
 Nick Dustman, a 44-year-old from Jacksonville, Fla., was treated at St Jude for Hodgkin's lymphoma when he was 16 and underwent high-dose radiation. Mr. Dustman said he doesn't smoke, watches his weight and bikes 120 miles every week. In the St. Jude study, he said he learned that people who received high doses of radiation often have heart issues. At the end of the testing, doctors told him to see a cardiologist immediately. Soon after, he underwent bypass surgery. "I never dreamed I had cardiac issues," he said. "Now I tell people St. Jude saved my life twice." 
 
 The latest estimates put the number of childhood cancer survivors at about 395,000, and these numbers are expected to grow, according to Dr. Hudson. 
 
 But "there is a paucity of training and doctors to take care of people with these specialized needs," said Charles Sklar, director of the long-term follow-up program in the department of pediatrics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and one of the authors of the paper, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute and Alsac, the fundraising organization for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 
 
 Greater awareness of the issue has led oncologists today to try, whenever possible, to use lower doses of medicine and to avoid radiation. Oncologists say that long-term health risks should be lower in these cases. Nonetheless, the study authors noted that many of the same agents and treatments in the study are used today. 
 
 Write to Amy Dockser Marcus at amy.marcus@wsj.com 
 
 A version of this article appeared June 12, 2013, on page A3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Childhood Cancer Health Woes Persist. ||||| The treatment, previously only tested in the laboratory, was used in one-year-old, Layla, who had relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). She is now cancer free and doing well. 
 
 This breakthrough comes from GOSH and UCL Institute of Child Health’s (ICH) pioneering research teams with support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, who together are developing treatments and cures for some of the rarest childhood diseases. 
 
 Chemotherapy successfully treats many patients with leukaemia but it can be ineffective in patients with particularly aggressive forms of the disease where cancer cells can remain hidden or resistant to drug therapy. Recent developments have led to treatments where immune cells, known as T-cells, are gathered from patients and programmed using gene therapy to recognise and kill cancerous cells. Multiple clinical trials are underway, but individuals with leukaemia, or those who have had several rounds of chemotherapy, often don’t have enough healthy T-cells to collect and modify meaning this type of treatment is not appropriate. 
 
 A team at GOSH has now used modified T-cells from donors, known as UCART19 cells, to treat a one-year-old child with an aggressive form of ALL who had unsuccessful chemotherapy and for whom palliative care was deemed the only option left. 
 
 The treatment works by adding new genes to healthy donor T-cells, which arm them against leukaemia. Using molecular tools (TALEN®) that act like very accurate scissors, specific genes are then cut in order to make the T-cells behave in two specific ways. Firstly, the cells became invisible to a powerful leukaemia drug that would usually kill them and secondly they are reprogrammed to only target and fight against leukaemia cells. 
 
 The team at GOSH and the UCL ICH, along with investigators at University College London and biotech company Cellectis, had been developing ‘off-the-shelf’ banks of these donor T-cells and the first of which was due to be used for final stage testing ahead of clinical trials. But, after hearing about this infant, the team received special permission to try the new treatment early. 
 
 Professor Waseem Qasim, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at UCL ICH and Consultant Immunologist at GOSH and a NIHR Research Professor, explains: "The approach was looking incredibly successful in laboratory studies, and so when I heard there were no options left for treating this child’s disease, I thought ‘why don’t we use the new UCART19 cells?’ 
 
 "The treatment was highly experimental and we had to get special permissions, but she appeared ideally suited for this type of approach." 
 
 The patient’s parents were also keen to try the treatment. Mum, Lisa, says: "We didn’t want to accept palliative care and so we asked the doctors to try anything for our daughter, even if it hadn’t been tried before." 
 
 The treatment consisted of 1ml of UCART19 cells delivered via intravenous line in around 10 minutes. After the cells had been delivered, the patient spent several months in isolation to protect her from infections while her immune system was extremely weak. Throughout this time, the patient stayed generally well. 
 
 After several weeks there were signs that the treatment was working. Professor Paul Veys, Director of bone marrow transplant at GOSH and the patient’s lead clinician, says: "As this was the first time that the treatment had been used, we didn’t know if or when it would work and so we were over the moon when it did. Her leukaemia was so aggressive that such a response is almost a miracle." 
 
 Once doctors were confident that the leukaemia cells had been removed, the patient was given a bone marrow transplant to replace her entire blood and immune system which had been wiped out by the treatment. The child is now recovering well at home, although she returns to GOSH regularly to check that her bone marrow cells are healthy and blood counts continuing to normalise. 
 
 Professor Qasim says: "We have only used this treatment on one very strong little girl, and we have to be cautious about claiming that this will be a suitable treatment option for all children. But, this is a landmark in the use of new gene engineering technology and the effects for this child have been staggering. 
 
 "If replicated, it could represent a huge step forward in treating leukaemia and other cancers." 
 
 Full clinical trials funded by Cellectis are now being planned to test UCART19 cells in larger groups of patients and are set to begin early in 2016. 
 
 “Cellectis main objective is to provide cancer patients with an accessible, cost-effective, off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-T therapies across all geographies. With clinical trial for the first gene-edited UCART on the horizon, it could be the beginning of a revolution in cancer immunotherapy,” says Dr. André Choulika, Chairman and CEO of Cellectis. 
 
 Visit our website for further details about this treatment and answers to frequently asked questions. 
 
 Layla's story 
 
 Layla was born healthy at 7lb 10 in June 2014. There were no problems during pregnancy and when she was born she was happy and content. At three months old, Layla was taken to the doctors as she was off her milk crying lots and her heart beat was fast. At first doctors suspected a tummy bug but after a blood test a few days later, it was confirmed that Layla had Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL.) Layla was just 14 weeks old. 
 
 The family were immediately sent to GOSH in a CATS ambulance and Layla was taken to intensive care with what doctors described as "one of the most aggressive forms of the disease we have ever seen." The next day Layla was moved to Elephant Ward where chemotherapy started straight away. She had several rounds of treatment to try and get rid of the cancer and was then given a bone marrow transplant (BMT) so her damaged blood cells could be replaced. 
 
 Seven weeks later the family were told that despite the transplant Layla’s cancer had returned. As the strong doses of chemotherapy that Layla had already received hadn’t killed off the cancer cells, a second round of treatment wasn’t an option. After travelling to Sheffield and taking part in an experimental treatment that sadly didn’t work for Layla, the family returned to London the day before her first birthday. 
 
 Doctors at GOSH explained that there were no treatment options left for Layla that would cure her and suggested palliative care. Mum, Lisa, says: "Doctors don’t want to say that there’s nothing we can do and offer palliative care but sometimes that’s the only option. 
 
 "We didn’t want to accept palliative care and give up on our daughter though so we asked the doctors to try anything." 
 
 The family were then told that a very recent and experimental treatment, which had only been trialled in mice, was being developed in the hospital and could be used to try and treat the aggressive form of cancer that Layla had. Only one vial of the treatment was available for Layla but in order for that to be given, an emergency ethics committee meeting had to be called to discuss whether it was the right thing to do for her. Dad, Ashleigh, says: "It was scary to think that the treatment had never been used in a human before but even with the risks, there was no doubt that we wanted to try the treatment. She was sick and in lots of pain so we had to do something. 
 
 "Doctors explained that even if we could try the treatment, there was no guarantee that it would work but we prayed it would." 
 
 After ethical approval was gained, doctors explained to mum and dad what the treatment would involve, consent forms were signed and treatment could begin. Treatment involved Layla being given a small 1ml infusion of genetically engineered cells through her Hickman line, which took a couple of minutes followed by a five minute flush. "Layla didn’t notice anything was going on, and was bouncing around her cot all the way through!" 
 
 Ashleigh says: "We thought that the little bit of liquid in the syringe was nothing, and asked 'what is that going to do when bags and bags of chemo haven’t worked.' The nurse said this was about quality and not quantity though." 
 
 Within one to two weeks doctors expected to see an immune response – usually in the form of a rash or a fever – to show that the treatment was working but when there was no change in Layla at two weeks, medical staff were unsure whether it had been successful. Doctors were preparing to send Layla home when she got ‘the rash’. Something seemed to be happening. 
 
 The rash got worse but aside from that Layla remained well. Lisa says: "We didn’t know she was going to be so well. We were preparing ourselves for her to be in intensive care and were constantly waiting to pull the crash bell. 
 
 "It was terrifying because you think that if she hasn’t gone to intensive care then it’s not working. When she didn’t, we couldn’t believe it." 
 
 A few weeks later, Lisa was picking up her elder daughter from school when Ashleigh called. "He said that the consultants had been in with results of the treatment and told me to sit down. 
 
 "I thought it was bad news but then he said ‘it’s worked’ and I just cried happy tears." 
 
 Around two months later and cancer free, Layla came back to GOSH for a second BMT to replace her bone marrow which had also been affected by the treatment. Her blood cell numbers increased from that point and one month after the transplant, she was well enough to go home. 
 
 Ashleigh says: "Even though she is well at the moment, we still don’t know what the future holds. She will still have monthly bone marrow checks for now and might be on some medicines for the rest of her life. 
 
 "It’s always at the back of your mind. It’s not like chickenpox that clears away, this is constant. You always have doubts." 
 
 But Lisa says: "I consider ourselves lucky that we were in the right place at the right time to get a vial of these cells. We always said that we had to try new things as we didn’t want to be saying ‘what if? 
 
 "Hopefully Layla will stay well and lots more children can be helped with this new treatment." ||||| AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A frigate carrying French colonists to the New World that sank in a storm off the Texas coast more than 300 years ago is being reassembled into a display that archeologists hope will let people walk over the hull and feel like they are on the ship's deck. 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo a timber from the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle rests on a support where the ship is being reassembled at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo ornate lifting handles decorate a bronze canon rescued from the French frigate La Belle on display at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo work to reassemble the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle begins at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble the... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo Roman numerals mark a timber from the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo guest walk past a replica on the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo Peter Fix, one of the assembly team members and chief conservator for Texas A&M; University’s Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation, works to reassemble the 54-foot... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo work to reassemble the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle begins at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble the... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo artifacts from the French frigate La Belle are displayed at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble the remains... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo artifacts from the French frigate La Belle are displayed at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning to reassemble the remains... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo pieces of the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle are laid out around a replica of the shipat the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists are beginning... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Oct. 22, 2014 photo a timber from the 54-foot oak French frigate La Belle rests on a support where the ship is being reassemble at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. Archaeologists... (Associated Press) 
 
 The 1686 wreck of the 54-foot oak frigate La Belle — in an expedition led by famed Mississippi River explorer Rene-Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle — is blamed for dooming France's further exploration of what would become Texas and the American Southwest. 
 
 But La Salle's short-lived Fort St. Louis near the shipwreck site in Matagorda Bay, about 100 miles southwest of present-day Houston, also convinced Spain to boost its presence in the region to ward off a feared French territorial expansion. 
 
 "In a very real way, it's responsible for our Hispanic heritage we have today," said Jim Bruseth, curator of the La Belle project at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. "They had nobody here, and it started the process of settling Texas. 
 
 "History oftentimes turns on seemingly small events," Bruseth said. "We have that actual ship, the remains of it here, that's the icon of that event." 
 
 Beginning Saturday, visitors to the Austin museum will be able to watch Bruseth and other archaeologists put the wrecked ship back together and talk with them as they work. The reassembly is expected to be complete by spring. 
 
 "It's going to be a lot of fun. It's like a dinosaur, big and dynamic and magnetic," said Peter Fix, one of the assembly team members and chief conservator for Texas A&M University's Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation. "Once we get the framing up it's going to look like a big beached whale, a bone carcass. And that's dynamic and hopefully it will pique curiosity." 
 
 The keel and other large structural pieces of La Belle — resembling old railroad ties — were discovered in 1995 by Texas Historical Commission archaeologists. Researchers built a dam around the site, pumped it dry, then retrieved the nearly intact hull that had been preserved in up to 6 feet of mud. 
 
 In 2012, the 600 waterlogged pieces were taken to Texas A&M, where the timber was stored at 60 degrees below zero in the world's largest archaeological freeze-dryer to remove more than three centuries of moisture. 
 
 Once the assembly is finished, the hull will be encased in a glass cabin-like structure so people can have the sensation of being on the ship's deck, peering into the hull and its cargo holds "and understand that they're not looking at just a bunch of dirty old boards," Fix said. 
 
 La Salle was the first European to travel the Mississippi River south to the Gulf, claiming all the land along the river and its tributaries for France in 1682. Three years later, he sailed from France with more than 300 colonists aboard four ships including La Belle to establish a settlement at the mouth of the Mississippi — a destination he missed by 400 miles. 
 
 By then, one ship had been lost to pirates. Another ran aground and sank. A third eventually headed back to France, leaving La Belle as his only lifeline. That was severed with its sinking. Then the colony at Fort St. Louis was ravaged by disease, rattlesnakes, water shortages and Indians. Its inhabitants died or were killed while La Salle led a handful of men inland, where he wound up killed by some of them. 
 
 The museum exhibition also includes cannons and rifles, ammunition, cooking utensils, tools, building materials, trinkets like beads, bells and mirrors and even some of the 1,603 Jesuit rings recovered. 
 
 "We couldn't be any luckier in that sense," Bruseth said. "Rather than the ship being empty when it wrecked, everything he had left that you need for a colony was in the Belle."
– A giant bell on a billboard in St. Louis will ring every time a child completes chemotherapy at a local hospital, per the AP. The 12-foot-tall metal bell went up Wednesday on a billboard over Interstate 44 that reads "Childhood wins another round against cancer." Hospital staff will use a mobile app to trigger the bell every time a child completes cancer treatment at St. Louis Children's Hospital, explains the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The bell's speakers enable people passing by to hear it ring. The hospital has its own bell that children with cancer can ring to mark their last day of chemotherapy, and five to 10 kids a month do so.