Childhood Cancer Facts
 

                            ·         Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer.

                            ·         One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.

                            ·         Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

                            ·         Cancer remains the number one disease killer of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.

                            ·         Each year in the U.S. over 12,600 children will be diagnosed with cancer.

                            ·         80% of children have metastatic disease at time of diagnosis as compared to only 20% of adults.

                            ·         Treatment of childhood cancer is intense and typically involves:
                     Surgery - Radiation – Chemotherapy

                            ·         There are currently more than 270,000 childhood cancer survivors in the US.

                            ·         Late effects of childhood cancer treatment are common in survivors, and approximately one-third are moderate to severe.
                     -Nuro-cognitive deficits (often loss of 10-50 IQ points)
                     -Heart failure
                     -Pulmonary fibrosis
                     -Treatment-induced secondary cancers
                     -Cataracts
                     -Hearing loss
                     -Endocrine abnormalities
                     -Loss of health care coverage (pre-existing condition when they reach adulthood)

                            ·         Although cure rates are steadily increasing, 35% of children will die