The National Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF) is a nonprofit public benefit charity which raises funds from public and private sources and allocates those revenues to support clinical and biological research conducted at childhood cancer treatment and research centers throughout North America.
From Laboratory Bench to Bedside … Childhood Cancer Research is Leaping Ahead
By Meredith Brucker, Director of Public Affairs, National Childhood Cancer Foundation.
Our research partners are keenly aware that when they save the life of a child with cancer, they are saving a whole lifetime of productive years. That is because the median age of children who get cancer is six, while for adults, it is 67.
Currently, the outlook is better than ever for curing children diagnosed with cancer. Leukemia was once a sure death sentence for a child. But we can predict that 80% of the children diagnosed with leukemia today will still be alive five years from now. And that remarkable progress has come through research.
One Boy's Journey.
Little Brandon Berglund is shown in the photo at left giving his father an Eskimo kiss. After the diagnosis of his brain tumor at age five, the boy underwent seven surgeries, followed by intensive chemotherapy. And that was just the beginning of his long journey towards a cure. Today, he has been tumor-free for seven years, and still is as full of spirit as ever, cracking jokes, riding his motorized scooter around the high school campus, and enjoying life. The life that was given back to him by cancer researchers. Studies sponsored by the National Childhood Cancer Foundation are currently looking into ways to cure children of cancer, and at the same time, use treatment options which are the least invasive possible, so that long-term side effects are minimized. Quality of life for these young patients as they enter adulthood has become an important issue. By the year 2010, it is estimated that one out of ever 250 Americans between 15 and 45 will be a survivor of childhood cancer.
And the bad news is…
There is, however, a critical problem even yet. Cancer today still kills more children than any other disease. There are many very stubborn forms of childhood cancer which remain resistant to treatment.
So the point is clear: we must maintain the research momentum until all children with cancer can be offered the chance for a cure. This is especially important at this time, when recent advances in molecular biology have opened the doors to exciting new opportunities to benefit children and adults with cancer.
The National Childhood Cancer Foundation supports a cooperative research network which conducts clinical trials at the most prestigious childhood cancer treatment and research centers in North America. The children treated according to these protocols are cared for by multi-specialist teams representing all of the skills required for state-of-the-art diagnosis, treatment, care and research on the cancers that attack children. These medical professionals include pediatric oncologists, surgeons specializing in childhood tumor surgery, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, and pediatric oncology nurses. And backing up their work at the bedside are the biology laboratory researchers and a corps of statisticians and data analysts.
The National Childhood Cancer Foundation supports the work of these clinical and laboratory scientists so they can combine their expertise and share information, developing and testing new therapies quickly and efficiently in laboratory and clinical trials. During the past 40 years, this cooperative effort has resulted in major progress in biology, and the development of new strategies for treating leukemia, brain tumors, lymphomas, neuroblastomas, and cancers of children's bones, muscles and kidneys.
Adult applications…
The cancers which attack children up to age 19 are the sixth most common form of cancer in this country. These children rarely get the major cancers of adults; the cancers which affect children are different from adult cancers. However, many of the treatment techniques developed in the course of research into childhood cancer have provided benefits for adults with cancer, too. For example:
The benefits of bone marrow transplantation in treating cancer patients were documented in pediatric clinical trials;
The early combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy was pioneered and refined by pediatric cancer specialists; and
The multi-disciplinary team approach to cancer treatment was developed in childhood cancer research trials.
Making people aware…
Besides supporting cancer research, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation also has a strong commitment to advocacy to benefit children with cancer. Through national public awareness and advocacy campaigns, we promote the importance of childhood cancer as a national health priority. And we constantly remind people that ‘Children get cancer, too’ as we distribute the gold lapel ribbon that denotes support for children with cancer. This foundation also offers education and guidance for the families of the more than 11,000 children who are diagnosed with cancer each year in this country.
Another important aspect of the National Childhood Cancer Foundation's mission is funding research fellowships and scholarships for young physician-scientists who wish to prepare for careers in childhood cancer care, research, and teaching at academic medical centers. Several research fellowships are offered each year in national competition. The opportunity to develop research experience with established mentors is often a career-determining event.
The progress already made in curing childhood cancer has been spectacular. However, the goal of the National Childhood Cancer Foundation is to be able to offer every child with cancer the chance for a cure. To learn more about these efforts, or to offer your support for research to benefit children, teenagers and young adults with cancer, contact the National Childhood Cancer Foundation at (800)458-6223 or visit the NCCF web site at www.nccf.org.
To obtain your free gold-ribbon lapel pin so you can show your support for children with cancer, call NCCF, (800)458-6223, extension 198.
One out of every 330 children in this country will get cancer before age 20. Despite remarkable research progress, cancer still kills more children than any other disease. Photo by Katy Tartakoff.
Everything now known about curing children of cancer has been learned from research. The National Childhood Cancer Foundation supports a cooperative research network treating children all over North America. Photo by Katy Tartakoff.