Each day in the United States, 43 children are newly diagnosed with cancer, and 7 children die from it.
Worldwide, this number is estimated at a staggering 800 children per day (300,000 new cases annually!).
These global estimates are likely well below the actual number due to underreporting, delayed/misdiagnosis, and a lack of registries.
80% of these cancers have spread/metastasized by the time they are diagnosed.
In 2017, 11.5 million years of healthy life were lost to pediatric cancer.
Cancer is the LEADING cause of death in children under the age of 19 in the United States.
This comes to approximately 1,800 children per year!
More than drowning, gun-related violence, and drug overdose.
Brain cancer is the deadliest cancer in pediatrics due to advancements in more common types of cancer.
Despite this number, less than 4% of federal funding for cancer research in the United States is directed towards childhood cancers!
The American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” donates only $0.01 for every dollar towards childhood cancer research.
As a result, it is generous donations from private individuals and corporations like you over the years that have led to the amazing advancements in treatment for childhood cancers.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent 2x more funding on drug abuse compared to all pediatric cancers.
84% of children diagnosed with cancer in the United States will survive beyond the 5-year mark; however, 3/5 of these children suffer late chronic health conditions from the treatments.
Some examples of these long-term health effects of chemotherapy medications can be heart problems, infertility, and even secondary cancers!
Although many cancers have had significant advancements in survival rates and prognosis, many still have very poor outcomes.
5-year survival rates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (the most common childhood cancer) has improved from 57% in 1975 to 92% in 2012.
Similarly, non-Hodgkin Lymphoma has improved from 43% in 1975 to 91% in 2012.
However, 5-year survival rates for some brain cancers such as DIPG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma) have stayed at 0% for over 30 years.
Additionally, rhabdomyosarcoma (the most common soft tissue cancer in children) currently has a 65% 5-year survival rate.
Survival rates also vary when comparing younger children and adolescents, possibly due to variations in treatment regimens.
Survival rates in high-income countries total over 80%; however, those in low to middle income countries (LMIC) can be as low as 20%.
Additionally, around 90% of the children at risk for developing cancer live in these low to middle income countries.
9.5 of the 11.5 million years of healthy life years lost to pediatric cancer described above are from these LMICs.
There are currently 0 screening methods for pediatric cancers.
Nearly all researchers agree that early diagnosis and screening methods would greatly reduce mortality/morbidity rates in pediatric cancer.
Screening is difficult due to the fast-growing nature of childhood cancer tumors.
