Budget Cuts May Hurt Children with Cancer
Research is the Only Cure for Cancer……
Support Childhood Cancer Research
In recent years, the amount of funding for childhood cancer clinical research from the federal government has been declining. In response to the most recent cutbacks, the National Cancer Institute has decreased funding which especially impacts childhood cancer research. As a result, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the world’s pre-eminent childhood cancer research organization, has been forced to put 20 new studies on hold and decrease enrollment in new clinical trials by more than 400 children next year.
After being told “your child has cancer”, as a parent, you want to hear “your child will receive cutting edge treatment and the very best that research has to offer."
For now, cuts will not affect children currently on treatment for childhood cancer.
Children currently enrolled in clinical trials at Children’s Oncology Group (COG) centers will not be directly affected by these funding cuts. The COG physicians and nurses will continue to provide excellent care. Future patients will receive the current best known treatment available at each of the COG hospitals as a result of clinical practice standards made possible through COG research.
More than 90% of children with cancer are treated at COG member institutions in the United States, the vast majority in a clinical trial. The collaboration of COG allows children with cancer to remain close to home for their treatment and care.
The rapid sharing of information through the Children’s Oncology Group has led to phenomenal improvements in childhood cancer survival rates.
There is urgency in confronting the number one cause of death due to disease in children.
Everything that we know about saving the lives of children diagnosed with cancer has resulted from research. Forty years ago, cure rates for children with cancer were lower than 10%. Thanks to funded research 78% of childhood cancer patients overall are now able to be cured.
While the success is impressive, the status quo is not acceptable. Each year, more than 12,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with childhood cancer.
At a time when breakthroughs can be made in treating all childhood cancer and the quality of life for children with cancer improved, the cutbacks in government funding will endanger the development of new clinical trials and threaten progress in curing childhood cancer.
For the first time since its founding, the decrease in funding to the Children’s Oncology Group places research in a dangerous position where studies and accompanying laboratory research that hold promise will not take place.
Each day that pediatric cancer research goes unfunded or under funded, the road to discovering new treatments and cures becomes longer, putting children at risk.
Research is the only key to the cure.
CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation looks to the private sector to support childhood cancer research.
While we work to educate our leaders and the public about making childhood cancer a national priority, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation must also secure gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations. When the lives of our children are at stake, it will take a public-private partnership to fund fully the research to cure and prevent cancer in children.
The loss of one more child to cancer is one too many.
How can you help fund the cure?
About CureSearch
National Childhood Cancer Foundation, a non-profit charity, is dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest cooperative childhood cancer research organization.
The Children’s Oncology Group unites the best of the academic and clinical research worlds to move the most promising treatments from the lab into clinical trials. This association of more than 5,000 dedicated experts in childhood cancer research and treatment are located at more than 235 children’s and university hospitals, and cancer centers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Together, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation and the Children’s Oncology Group are committed to conquering childhood cancer through scientific discovery and compassionate care – until we reach the day when every child with cancer is cured and cancer can be prevented.
Media contact: sally.charney@curesearch.org or 240-235-2205
General questions: info@curesearch.org