Childhood Cancer Facts

Funding safer, more effective treatments. It’s why we exist.

Ella’s Tea Party chose its mission based on the incredible challenges facing childhood cancer researchers. While we focus on a future filled with hope, the challenges of today are many and real. We offer the following resources to help you better understand why we exist and why you are so crucial to our success.

In her 2006 editorial, Dr. Jessica Boklan, M.D., Director, Oncology Research at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, describes many of the challenges facing childhood cancer researchers (Dr. Jessica Boklan, MD. “Little patients, losing patience: pediatric cancer drug development.” Molecular Therapeutics, August 2006: 1905-1908. http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/5/8/1905.full). Interestingly, Dr. Boklan highlights how children are not “little adults” and therefore do not always respond to existing treatments the way an adult would. Additionally, while childhood cancer is a significant health threat to children, the number of diagnoses each year make it difficult to effectively study and challenges the cost-effectiveness of developing new treatments.

CureSearch for Children’s Cancer

CureSearch funds the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest children’s cancer research collaborative. CureSearch’s website offer information for families, patients, and friends about childhood cancer. Notably:

Number 1 cause of non-violent death in children
1:5 children diagnosed with cancer will die
3:5 children diagnosed will have long term side effects from treatment
12,000-13,000 diagnosed in US annually
Over 40,000 children currently in treatment

For more information, visit: curesearch.com

Pediatric Oncology Experimental Therapeutics Investigator’s Consortium (POETIC)

POETIC is a group of 11 academic medical centers in North America focused on Phase I and II childhood cancer clinical trials. POETIC’s website offers information for families and patients about clinical trials.