Facts About Childhood Cancer

Andy Mikulak

Neuroblastoma Facts <ul> <li>Neuroblastoma is a common and often difficult to treat cancer, the most common cancer in infancy.</li> <li>In the United States, about 600 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year.</li> <li>It is the most common tumor found in children younger than 1 year of age.</li> <li>Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid tumor cancer in children.</li> <li>Every 16 hours a child with neuroblastoma dies.</li> <li>There is no known cure for relapsed neuroblastoma.</li> <li>Nearly 70% of those children first diagnosed with neuroblastoma have disease that has already metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. When disease has spread at diagnosis and a child is over the age of 2, there is less than a 30% chance of survival.</li> </ul> Childhood Cancer Facts <ul> <li>Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer in children.</li> <li>There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.</li> <li></li> <li>The American Cancer Society spends less than 70 cents of each 100 dollars raised on childhood cancer.</li> <li>Cancer kills more children than any other disease, more than Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Pediatric AIDS combined.</li> <li>Sadly, over 2,300 children with cancer die each year.</li> <li>Every school day 46 children are diagnosed.</li> <li>1 in 330 children will have the disease by age 20.</li> <li>Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant diseases at other times in life.</li> <li>80% of children have metastasized cancer at the time of their diagnosis. At diagnosis, only 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread or metastasized.</li> <li>Detecting childhood cancers at an early stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, is extremely difficult.</li> <li>Cancer symptoms in children – fever, swollen glands, anemia, bruises and infection – are often suspected to be, and at the early stages are treated as, other childhood illnesses.</li> <li>Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.</li> <li>Treatment can continue for several years, depending on the type of cancer and the type of therapy given.</li> </ul> Causes of Childhood Cancer <ul> <li>Every family is potentially at risk.</li> <li>In almost all cases, childhood cancers arise from non-inherited mutations (or changes) in the genes of growing cells.</li> <li>As these errors occur randomly and unpredictably, there is currently no effective way to predict or prevent them.</li> <li>Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupational hazards and exposure to other cancer causing agents.</li> </ul> Cancer Research Funding <ul> <li>Nationally, childhood cancer is 20x more prevalent than pediatric AIDS.</li> <li>Pediatric AIDS receives 4x the funding that childhood cancer receives.</li> <li>In one month there are 2x as many deaths from childhood cancer as pediatric AIDS for the entire year.</li> <li>Over the past 20 years, only two new cancer drugs have been approved for pediatric use – Clofarabine (Clolar-Genzyme) in 2004 for ALL and Tenoposide (Vumar/VM-26-BMS) in 1990.</li> <li>Only 3% of the National Cancer Institute Budget goes toward Pediatric Cancer Research.</li> <li>September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, which nationally goes unrecognized.</li> <li>The federal government recently cut the budget for Childhood Cancer Research.</li> <li>Currently there are between 30 – 40,000 children undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.</li> <li>Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children show that the cancer has spread at diagnosis.</li> <li>Today, up to 75% of the children with cancer can be cured, yet some forms of childhood cancer have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive.</li> <li>As a nation, we spend over $14 BILLION per year on the space program, but only $35 million on Childhood Cancer Research each year.</li> <li>There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.</li> <li>The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget for 2003 was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.</li> <li>Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.</li> <li>In 2005, the American Cancer Society provided only 2.5% of funded grants, or 1.85% of dollars spent on research to pediatric cancer.</li> </ul>

2010-02-18T16:04:47-08:00

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2010-02-18T16:04:47-08:00

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Facts About Childhood Cancer 2010-03-09T21:06:08-08:00 Neuroblastoma Facts <ul> <li>Neuroblastoma is a common and often difficult to treat cancer, the most common cancer in infancy.</li> <li>In the United States, about 600 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year.</li> <li>It is the most common tumor found in children younger than 1 year of age.</li> <li>Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial solid tumor cancer in children.</li> <li>Every 16 hours a child with neuroblastoma dies.</li> <li>There is no known cure for relapsed neuroblastoma.</li> <li>Nearly 70% of those children first diagnosed with neuroblastoma have disease that has already metastasized or spread to other parts of the body. When disease has spread at diagnosis and a child is over the age of 2, there is less than a 30% chance of survival.</li> </ul> Childhood Cancer Facts <ul> <li>Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer in children.</li> <li>There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.</li> <li></li> <li>The American Cancer Society spends less than 70 cents of each 100 dollars raised on childhood cancer.</li> <li>Cancer kills more children than any other disease, more than Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Pediatric AIDS combined.</li> <li>Sadly, over 2,300 children with cancer die each year.</li> <li>Every school day 46 children are diagnosed.</li> <li>1 in 330 children will have the disease by age 20.</li> <li>Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant diseases at other times in life.</li> <li>80% of children have metastasized cancer at the time of their diagnosis. At diagnosis, only 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread or metastasized.</li> <li>Detecting childhood cancers at an early stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, is extremely difficult.</li> <li>Cancer symptoms in children – fever, swollen glands, anemia, bruises and infection – are often suspected to be, and at the early stages are treated as, other childhood illnesses.</li> <li>Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.</li> <li>Treatment can continue for several years, depending on the type of cancer and the type of therapy given.</li> </ul> Causes of Childhood Cancer <ul> <li>Every family is potentially at risk.</li> <li>In almost all cases, childhood cancers arise from non-inherited mutations (or changes) in the genes of growing cells.</li> <li>As these errors occur randomly and unpredictably, there is currently no effective way to predict or prevent them.</li> <li>Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupational hazards and exposure to other cancer causing agents.</li> </ul> Cancer Research Funding <ul> <li>Nationally, childhood cancer is 20x more prevalent than pediatric AIDS.</li> <li>Pediatric AIDS receives 4x the funding that childhood cancer receives.</li> <li>In one month there are 2x as many deaths from childhood cancer as pediatric AIDS for the entire year.</li> <li>Over the past 20 years, only two new cancer drugs have been approved for pediatric use – Clofarabine (Clolar-Genzyme) in 2004 for ALL and Tenoposide (Vumar/VM-26-BMS) in 1990.</li> <li>Only 3% of the National Cancer Institute Budget goes toward Pediatric Cancer Research.</li> <li>September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, which nationally goes unrecognized.</li> <li>The federal government recently cut the budget for Childhood Cancer Research.</li> <li>Currently there are between 30 – 40,000 children undergoing cancer treatment in the U.S.</li> <li>Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children show that the cancer has spread at diagnosis.</li> <li>Today, up to 75% of the children with cancer can be cured, yet some forms of childhood cancer have proven so resistant to treatment that, in spite of research, a cure is illusive.</li> <li>As a nation, we spend over $14 BILLION per year on the space program, but only $35 million on Childhood Cancer Research each year.</li> <li>There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.</li> <li>The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget for 2003 was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.</li> <li>Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.</li> <li>In 2005, the American Cancer Society provided only 2.5% of funded grants, or 1.85% of dollars spent on research to pediatric cancer.</li> </ul>