Changes in the treatment of pediatric cancer over recent decades have translated to a reduced risk of serious, long-term late health effects of cancer therapy. This is according to the latest analysis from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), a National Cancer Institute-funded resource for late-effects research, led by investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“This is the first comprehensive study to demonstrate how changes in treatments over time have impacted the occurrence of late effects experienced by childhood cancer survivors,” said Todd Gibson, Ph.D., assistant member of the Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude. “We found the 15-year cumulative incidence of people reporting at least one severe health condition decreased from 12.7 percent among childhood cancer survivors diagnosed in the 1970s to 10.1 percent for those diagnosed in the 1980s to 8.8 percent in the 1990s–a statistically significant decline.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924756-st-jude-childhood-cancer-survivorship-asco-2017/
In an effort to improve outcomes for patients with some of the deadliest childhood cancers, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital scientists have created the world’s largest collection of pediatric solid tumor samples, drug-sensitivity data and related information and have made the resource available at no charge to the global scientific community.
St. Jude and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute collaborated to create the resource, known as the Childhood Solid Tumor Network. The work is reported today as an advance online publication in the scientific journal Nature.
“Survival rates for children with recurrent solid tumors have not improved significantly in more than 20 years and remain below 30 percent,” said corresponding author Michael Dyer, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Developmental Neurobiology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. “This research will change that by promoting scientific collaboration to leverage the efforts of researchers worldwide to advance understanding and ultimately treatment of pediatric solid tumors.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8121952-st-jude-childrens-childhood-solid-tumor-network/
Summit Homes, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary through Clayton Properties Group, presented St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital representatives a check for $718,000 following the sale of the builder’s 2017 St. Jude Dream Home Showplace.
Summit Homes, the largest new home builder in Kansas City, built the 2017 St. Jude Dream Home Showplace as an extension of the St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway Program, to support children battling cancer and other catastrophic diseases. The builder pledged 100% of proceeds from the sale of the home to as a donation for the research hospital.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8011654-clayton-summit-homes-st-jude-dream-home-2017/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is naming the institution’s principal research tower after Donald Pinkel, M.D., whose legacy of driving progress toward advancing cures for pediatric catastrophic diseases continues at the institution today.
When St. Jude was established 55 years ago, Pinkel, the hospital’s first medical director, committed to finding cures for childhood cancer, leading to groundbreaking treatments that saved countless children’s lives. Many of these cancers were deemed incurable prior to Pinkel’s research, but his distinct approach to eradicating diseases established a model for how cancers could be treated.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/7924752-st-jude-childrens-research-hospital-donald-pinkel-tower/
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® officials and guests today marked the opening of the St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, the first proton therapy center in the world dedicated solely to children with cancer.
Patients are now being treated at the center using precisely delivered, high-energy particles called protons to kill or shrink tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue and organs. For patients with brain tumors and certain other cancers, research suggests proton beam therapy may be more effective than conventional radiation at preventing the growth and spread of tumors while reducing the risk of treatment-related side effects.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7713451-st-jude-proton-therapy-opening/
This year, parents of nearly 16,000 children in the U.S. will hear the words: “Your child has cancer.” One in five of those children won’t survive. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and as a leader in the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® will focus on raising awareness and funds for this very important issue.
Despite significant progress made by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which has helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rates from 20 to more than 80 percent since the hospital opened in 1962, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children over the age of 1. Each year about 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 60 percent of these kids don’t have access to modern treatment. For those who win their battles against childhood cancer, victory often comes at a cost as survivors face a much higher risk of experiencing unique long-term health effects later in life.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7390851-st-jude-hospital-childhood-cancer-awareness/
