Facts About Childhood Cancer

Many adult cancers can be diagnosed early. In 80% of kids, cancer has already spread to other areas of the body by the time it is diagnosed.

Some cancers almost never strike after the age of 5; others occur most often in teenagers. Even when kids get cancers that adults get—like lymphoma—they must be treated differently. Children are not simply smaller adults!

There are over a dozen types of childhood cancers, and countless subtypes, making it more challenging for researchers to find cures for every kid.

Sarah and Brendan resting.

Enjoying a walk through the toy store.

How cancer behaves.

Most of us have relatively well-behaved cells. Cancer happens when some cells get out of control.

A normal cell knows how to grow and divide to make new cells, and knows when to stop and die. But a cancer cell isn’t normal. It grows and spreads too fast, and it won’t die.

Day 3 (out of 5) of radiation

All those cancer cells can clump together to form a tumor. Not only can tumors grow to damage the part of the body where they start, they can also spread (or metastasize) to other organs where they do even more damage—sometimes ending a life.

The radiation to the hips seems to be having a huge positive impact on Brendan.

A cure is not enough.

For many years, researchers struggled to give kids just a few more months of life. While many kids now survive, the search goes on for cures for many childhood cancers.

But even for kids who survive, the battle is not over. A recent study shows that because of the treatments they had as kids, by the time they’re 45, more than 95% of survivors will have a chronic health problem and 80% will have severe or life-threatening conditions.

Resting for a minute before more exercise!

So in addition to finding cures, a lot of research is focused on preventing the lifelong damage that results from surgeries, radiation and chemotherapies given while young bodies and brains are just developing.  (St. Baldrick's )

Practicing on the stairs. . .

 "The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental risk factors, unlike many adult cancers. " (National Cancer Institute)

"The types of cancers that develop in children are often different from the types that develop in adults. Childhood cancers are often the result of DNA changes in cells that take place very early in life, sometimes even before birth. Unlike many cancers in adults, childhood cancers are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental risk factors."  (American Cancer Society)

Brendan is feeling better and better each day.