Dr. Valerie Brown, clinical director of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Program at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, said that although cancer treatment has improved substantially over the last 50 years, there’s still a long way to go.
Survival rates have doubled from 40 percent to 80 percent among standard risk patients since the 1970s, Brown said. That’s the good news. But one out of five children still die from the disease.
“We’ve sort of reached our limitations for how to shuffle the different standard chemotherapy agents,” she said. “We have used these drugs as intensely as possible and in as many different combinations as possible.”
“We’ve reached the limit with these drugs, and yet a proportion of children will still die from their cancer,” Brown said.
That is why Brown and other pediatric oncologists and researchers have focused their efforts on understanding what gives high-risk patients’ cancer cells a survival advantage. Her expertise is acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL, the most common childhood cancer.
Recent findings have revealed a “kinase signature” genetically programmed within the leukemia cells in patients who have a harder time achieving remission. Those patients are predominantly Hispanic and Native American. This discovery has led to the incorporation of novel drugs that target this “kinase signature.” Brown believes this discovery will lead to genetic testing of a patient’s cancer cells in order to personalize the treatment course as being the standard at the time of a cancer diagnosis.
MLS recognizes Childhood Cancer Awareness Month across the league
Each team created a version of this video, are doing various activities during games in September to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer.
Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation Honors Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with #GoGold Initiative at NY Giants 2014 Season Home Opener
The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation today announced it will honor its 2014 Childhood Cancer Awareness Month initiative “#GoGold” on Sunday September 14 at the New York Giants home opener at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford NJ.Twelve families of pediatric oncology patients will attend the game as special guests of the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund watch the game from MetLife Stadium’s Legacy Club and wear special edition Jay Fund #GoGoldt-shirts. New York Giants Head Coach and Founder of the Jay Fund Tom Coughlin and his coaching staff will also wear #GoGold pins to show their support.Additionally Coughlin will wear the pin during all September games.
Check Tom Coughlin’s video about his Foundation here.
Will Ferrell hates cancer — and he’ll play video games on Twitch to prove it
Actor Will Ferrell, who starred in films like Anchorman and Elf, is asking the gaming community to help him raise at least $375,000 as part of an IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign to benefit non-profit organizations Cancer for College and DonateGames. If the project reaches its goal, Ferrell promises to spend Oct. 26 playing video games on Twitch. The event will feature special items for people who donate, like a tube of “Will Ferrell’s SuperMegaUVBlastMax: Gamer’s Sunscreen.” And everyone who contributes is entered into a sweepstakes to travel to San Francisco and take on Ferrell in a battle of gaming skill. You can get all of the details at WillFerrellHatesCancer.org.
Full 6th Annual Walk-N-Roll Toward Wellness Results
Man takes 101 photos of cancer courage
Photographer Peter Doyle is the parent of a healthy 3-year-old boy. Sitting in the cancer wing of a pediatric hospital for business, he had an epiphany as he watched the families make their way past him.
“(They) were just like my own little family. At least they had been like mine until they were suddenly engulfed with the stress and fear that comes with hearing your child’s cancer diagnosis. My wife and I have a bright-eyed, curious, three-year-old son. Feeling that momentary panic of what would we do if our world was ever thrown topsy-turvy by similar tidings, I asked myself where we would find support and encouragement? The answer came swiftly: Who better to extend a helpful word of hope than these very families surrounding me? The journey of photographing 101 childhood cancer warriors and survivors leading me across America began that very night.”
Doyle began a journey around America, photographing children with cancer and having them write about their own stories. Childhood Cancer Portraits is a collection of 101 portraits and handwritten notes of hope, wisdom and encouragement from children with cancer. Twenty-two of the children featured in Doyle’s just released book are from Atlanta.
Up to 50% of the profits from the book will go to childhood cancer non profits and the families of the children featured in the book, to help pay for medical expenses.
Kansas boy with cancer asks for superhero birthday, world answers
Devon Still jersey sales break records in support of pediatric cancer research
It is an outpouring of support like none other, at least in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Tuesday, the team started selling Devin Still jerseys to raise money for pediatric cancer research. That because Still’s daughter battles the disease. In less than 24-hours, those jerseys sold more than any other in the team’s history.
Michigan children’s hospital to get $250,000 grant
“The generous support from Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels is going to allow us to pursue an exciting new area of investigation that we are optimistic will lead to better therapy for Ewing sarcoma patients,” Lawlor said. “This research is particularly innovative since it involves new partnerships with other investigators from diverse disciplines across the University of Michigan. We are confident that by working together we are going to make more important discoveries and make them faster.”
Devon Still and Bengals Take Stance Against Pediatric Cancer
An ESPN report by Coley Harvey really brought to light how close to home Pediatric Cancer has hit the Bengals organization and Devon Still. In June, Still found out his four year old daughter has stage-4 Neuroblastoma cancer and a 50-50 shot at survival. As a father, I know it would be hard to find out news like that, but Still has battled on while earning a spot on the Bengals practice squad.
The Cincinnati Bengals (and Devon Still) decided to take it one step further, not only to ensure that Still had a paycheck and health insurance for his daughter, but to contribute to the effort directly
Help sack cancer with a @Dev_Still71 jersey. Proceeds go to benefit @CincyChildrens. More: http://t.co/kOuwYDKmCN pic.twitter.com/PmhP5F5o7g
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2014
On top of the Bengals donating the proceeds from Still’s jersey sales, Devon Still has also set up a fundraiser at pldgit.com. You can sign up to donate money per sack. Proceeds from Still’s Fundraiser will benefit the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which happen to be leaders in research for pediatric cancer.