1. Childhood Cancer Gold Award Project – 2013 By Annika Lars

2. What do these ribbons mean?

3.  The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness.  Many people do not recognize this ribbon; however, it stands for childhood cancer.

4. What is Childhood Cancer?  Childhood cancer is a collection of diseases  Every day in America, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer  Approximately 12,400 between birth and 19 are diagnosed every year

5. Types of Cancer  12 major types of cancer: bones, muscle, blood, liver, kidney, eyes  Blood (Leukemias) and brain tumors make up more than half of cases  Common adult cancers rarely occur in children

6. Causes  There is no known cause of childhood cancer  Some are even born with cancer

7. Statistics  Leading cause of death in children under 18  The median age at diagnosis is six years old  Some forms of pediatric cancer have a 5 year survival rate of more than 90%, while others have a 5 year survival rate of less than 2%

8. Treatment  While adults often go through about a year of treatment, children often have an average treatment length of three years (cure to remission)

9. Battle After Treatment  Due to the toxic therapies used to cure cancer, the young survivors will have serious side-effects:  Delayed cognitive development  Stunted growth  Damaged speech and/or hearing  Infertility and Endocrine Dysfunction  Learning Disabilities  Physical Handicaps due to nerve damage or amputation

10. The Battle After Treatment  1 out of 4 will not live past 5 years  3 out of 4 will have life-long complications from their aggressive treatments  25% of survivors have severe/life- threatening effects  10% will develop a secondary cancer  Only 20% of children receive follow-up care which is crucial (90% of adults do)

11. Need for Change  80% of cases: diagnosis is delayed until the disease is very advanced and has spread to other parts of the body (only 20% in adults)  Because childhood cancers tend to be more aggressive, this late diagnosis can affect the severity of the diagnosis

12. Need for Change  Pediatric cancer patients are often still treated with drugs that were created in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s  In the past 20 years, the FDA has only approved one new drug exclusively for pediatric patients

13. Effects of Childhood Cancer  Chemotherapy and radiation make children feel sick and weak as well as make their hair fall out  Entire family is affected: a parent may have to quit their job, and often siblings are neglected  Parents can spend over 40 hours per week caring for their child

14. What Can You Do?  Help scientists search for a cure by donating or fundraising to support childhood cancer research  Volunteer for a local organization

15. Extra Links  http://www.acco.org/Information/Treatm entandSurvivorship/EducationalIssues.asp x  http://www.acco.org/Information/About ChildhoodCancer/ChildhoodCancerStati stics.aspx