Childhood Cancer Facts & Figures

Cancer is a scary word. Often times I have even heard it being referred to as the "C-word" because it was almost as if it was something that was so unspeakable. But with the Terry Fox run just around the corner and September being childhood cancer awareness month, it's important to discuss this hard but very real fact about life. Children get sick. It is every parent's nightmare, but being informed could make the journey a little easier and allows you the confidence to at least be aware of what is out there.

What is cancer?
Cancer is a group of diseases that has to do with our cells. Often times it refers to the process when our cells mutate and just continue to divide and grow our of control. Normally our cells grow and divide, but after some time stop growing and die. Cancer cells can't seem to shut themselves off. Problems occur when cancer cells group or clump together, forming a tumour. Tumours can destroy the normal cells around the tumour and damage our body's healthy tissues.

Cancer in children acts differently and are actually found in different parts of the body than that of an adult. Tumours in children often grow more quickly and spread to other parts of the body much faster. This is part of the reason why it is harder to diagnose a child earlier on.

Facts:

1. Childhood cancer is the #1 disease fatality of children. Cancer is the leading cause of death by a disease for children between the ages of 1-19 year old. 
2. 1 in 333 children will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20 in Canada. 
3. Around the world, every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. That is 300,000 kids around the world every YEAR.
4. The average age of a child diagnosis of cancer is 6 years old. 
5. 80% of children diagnosed with cancer are in developing countries. In high income countries more than 80% of children with cancer will survive, but in many low-income countries only 20% survive. 
6. The most common form of childhood cancer is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). 
7. The cause of childhood cancers is unknown, and at present childhood cancers cannot be prevented. So far it has not been linked to lifestyle or environmental factors. (This is important parents: it means right now there is nothing more that you could have done to prevent it because we just don't know enough about it.)
8. The length of time for treatment for a child ranges between 3 months to 2 and a half years. Treatments for adults are considerably shorter. 
9.  The incidences of childhood cancers is highest in the first 5 years of life. 
10. In Canada, 83% of children diagnosed with cancer will survive. 
11. Survival does however come at a cost. 75% of children who survive cancer live with permanent side effects which may include blindness, deafness, growth issues, motor impairment, cognitive difficulties, and so forth.
12. Childhood cancer is consistently underfunded, accounting for only 5% of all cancer research funding in Canada today.

It is heartbreaking to know that there is such little funding for such an impactful age group. With weaker immune systems and the inability to interact with the outside world, these children go through such a battle, physically and emotionally. This week we will be talking more about childhood cancers, including advocacy and learning where to donate and what your donations mean! Then on Sunday Joana and Brittany will be participating in the Terry Fox Run in memory of their best friend Crystal, who lost her life during her own battle with cancer. 

Sources

Kids Cancer Care

Kids with Cancer

St. Baldricks

Cancer.ca

Kids Health

WHO