Scientists at the UEA have made a major breakthrough in the fight against bone cancer in children - hailed as "the most important discovery in the field" for 50 years.

A study conducted at the university has found that a new drug potentially works against all times of primary bone cancer in children.

Tests found that the medicine - called CADD522 - is able to block a gene that helps cancer spread.

Darrell Green, of the UEA's Norwich Medical School, led the research having been inspired to study the condition after losing his best friend to it as a teenager.

He said: "I wanted to understand the underlying biology of cancer spread so that we can intervene at the clinical level and develop new treatments so that patients won't have to go through the things my friend Ben went through.

"Primary bone cancer is the third most common solid childhood cancer, after brain and kidney, with around 52,000 new cases every year worldwide.

"It can rapidly spread to other parts of the body and this is the most problematic aspect of this type of cancer.

"Once it has spread, it becomes very difficult to treat with curative intent."

The researchers say the breakthrough drug increases survival rates by 50pc and does not have the same side effects as chemotherapy.

The research was conducted using bone tumour samples from 19 cancer patients, which were then implanted into mice.

The mice were then treated with the drug and monitored.

Dr Green added: "In preclinical trials, metastasis-free survival was increased by 50pc using the new CADD522 drug on its own, without chemotherapy or surgery.

"I'm optimistic that combined with other treatments, such as surgery, this survival figure would be increased further.

"This breakthrough is really important because bone cancer treatment hasn't changed for more than 45 years."