CCF realizes the critical need to fund early and sometimes unique research in the broad field of pediatric oncology.
Why do researchers in Pediatric Oncology need funding?
Cancer continues to be the #1 cause of disease related death for children. The diagnosis of cancer in children and adolescents is life changing.
Rise in Diagnosed Pediatric Cancer Rates
- In 2015, an estimated 15,780 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 1960 deaths from cancer will occur among children and adolescents aged birth to 19 years.
- Approximately 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20.
- The annual incidence rate of cancer in children and adolescents is 186.6 per million children aged birth to 19 years. (Source: Childhood and Adolescent Cancer Statistics, 2014, CA: The Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2014: Volume 24. Issue 2. 2014 American Cancer Society.)
Cancer Funding is lagging for Pediatric Oncology
- Pediatric oncologists and researchers experience firsthand how the lack of federal research dollars stifles momentum in pediatric cancer research and drug development.
- Research for children with cancer, especially for those with sarcomas and brain cancer, lags nearly two decades behind their adult counterparts.
Pharmaceutical Companies do not invest in pediatric oncology research
- Pharmaceutical companies see even less incentive to invest in the research needed to test experimental therapies in children because of the small patient population.
- In fact, less money is spent each year on childhood cancer research than the cost of one big name Hollywood movie.
CCF Funding is critical for early research
Unless researchers in our area receive start-up research grant funding from CCF, their efforts to obtain hard data on efficacy of their theories, will be challenged.
