Blood cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for children, accounting for 40% of pediatric cancer cases.
Nearly 55,000 children and adolescents in the United States currently have blood cancer or are in remission from blood cancer. Advances in medicine have given most of these children a chance to grow into adulthood, but it wasn’t long ago that a blood cancer diagnosis meant these young people would most likely lose their lives.
However, the treatments that help survivors reach remission have many different side effects that ripple out and cause other health issues. The result? A shocking 80% of childhood cancer survivors have chronic health issues resulting from cancer treatment — but it doesn’t have to be this way.
A better solution
Treatment options for pediatric cancer patients aren’t adequate. Only 5% of cancer drugs are approved for first-time use in children, so when a child receives a cancer diagnosis, their options are very limited. In most cases, their families have no other choice than to accept side effects from cancer treatments that weren’t developed with them in mind.
Children across the globe deserve better, so the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launched the Dare to Dream project to create a world where childhood blood cancer patients not only survive but thrive after treatment.
Research that’s transforming treatment and cures
At the heart of the Dare to Dream project, in partnership with researchers and healthcare professionals across the globe, LLS launched the first-ever acute leukemia LLS PedAL Master Clinical Trial, leading the way for pediatric blood cancer treatment research. PedAL is focused on fundamentally changing how children are treated.
Dare to Dream also offers robust education and support services for patients and families, drives advocacy and policy efforts, and invests millions in childhood blood cancer research. To make the biggest impact, LLS funds research in its earliest stages all the way to clinical trials.
“Our goal is no less than a wholesale shift in the standard of care for pediatric patients, thinking beyond toxic chemotherapies that leave survivors with lifelong health challenges to effective, safe treatments that don’t cause as much harm to the rest of the child’s body,” said Gwen Nichols, M.D., chief medical officer at LLS and co-chair of PedAL.
Advocating and supporting kids with cancer
Kids need access to lifesaving treatment, and the right policies and laws can help. Through LLS’s advocacy efforts, volunteers hold hundreds of meetings with lawmakers and send thousands of letters yearly to advocate for policies that benefit kids with cancer.
Through free education and support services offered by LLS, kids and young adults with blood cancer and their families have a much-needed lifeline during diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. If someone you know is facing a pediatric blood cancer diagnosis, they can find support at lls.org or (800) 955-4572.
“We are working toward more tailored treatments for kids, advocating for policies so they can access the treatment they need, and providing support to them and their families throughout their cancer experience,” said Andy Kolb, M.D., president and CEO at LLS.
