Local girl begins battle to beat cancer
As a local family fights the battle of their life, the Richmond community continues praying for a little one of its own.
Nine-year-old Presley Minnick was diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcoma, a rare cancer. The large tumor was found during a dentist appointment in April and after doctor’s visits, results showed the tumor had already affected her sinuses, nose, eye and cheek.
The term osteosarcoma refers to a heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms – cancerous tumor(s) – with bone formation or malignant mesenchymal tissue (soft tissue tumors) that presents histopathological (study of diseased cells and tissues using a microscope) evidence of osteogenic differentiation. Osteosarcomas that affect the bones of the cranium are relatively uncommon, with only about 10 percent occurring in the head and neck, according to www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov.
“As of nearly four years ago, only three to four children have had it in the United States. Surgery is 15-19 hours long and involves…