Pediatric Cancer Facts
Cancer remains the #1 cause of death by disease for children in America, yet only 4% of the NCI’s budget is used to fund pediatric cancer research.
Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday.
Worldwide, a child is diagnosed every 2 minutes.
The average age of a child diagnosed with cancer is 8.
Early diagnosis of cancer in children is often difficult.
In 80% of children with cancer the cancer has already spread to other areas of the body. Many adult cancers can be diagnosed early.
Through 2020, only six new drugs have been approved by the FDA that were specifically developed for childhood cancer.
1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer will die within 5 years.
Most children with cancer will be given general anesthesia more times in the first year post diagnoses than the average adult will get in a lifetime.
If your child relapses and dies after 5 years of being in remission, they still count as a survivor in the 5 year survival statistics.
There are over 12 types of childhood cancers, and endless subtypes, making it more challenging for researchers to find better treatments and cures.