Each year, approximately 13,500 parents will hear the words “your child has cancer.” Across all ages, ethnic groups and socio-economics, this disease remains the number one cause of death by disease in children. Despite major advances – from an overall survival rate of 10% just 40 years ago
to nearly 80% today, for many rare cancers, the survival rate is much lower. Furthermore, the
number of diagnosed cases annually has not declined in nearly 20 years.
~Every day, 36 children are diagnosed with cancer.
~One child out of five who is diagnosed with cancer dies.
~Children’s cancer affects all ethnic, gender and socio-economic groups.
~The average age of children diagnosed is six.~More than 40,000 children undergo treatment for cancer each year.
~Three out of five who survive children’s cancer suffer late-effects, such as infertility, heart failure, and secondary cancers.
~There are approximately 350,000 adult survivors of children’s cancer in the United States.~That equates to 1 in 640 adults ages 18-45.
- One in 300 boys will develop cancer before the age of 20.
- One in 333 girls will develop cancer before the age of 20.
- The incidence of invasive pediatric cancers is up to 29% in the past 20 years.
- Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among US children ages 1-14.
- In 2009, only 4% of the National Cancer Institute’s budget was used for pediatric funding.
- Young cancer patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed.
- The average age of death for a child with cancer is 8.
- In 20 years the FDA has initially approved only one drug for any childhood cancer. Half of all chemotherapies used for children’s cancers are 25 years old.
- Physical and neurocognitive disabilities resulting from treatment may prevent childhood cancer survivors from fully participating in school, social activities and eventually work.
- Cancer kills more children than AIDs, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies combined.
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