News & Updates

Assorted news from the last week: This video abstract breaks down financial toxicity issues for families with special health care needs. Researchers have discovered that low-risk and high-risk neuroblastoma have different cell identities, which can affect the survival rate. Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug known to cause hearing loss in children is more likely to do so the earlier in life children receive it, new UBC research has found. A new study of palliative care in pediatric oncology has found that non-White children were more likely to die in the hospital than White patients, but that the difference was in concordance with […]

Assorted news from the last week: The White House issued a proclamation for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on September 1. Canadian gold illumination! For every post that uses #KickChildhoodCancer on Twitter, Continental Tire will donate $1 to Children Oncology Group (up to $50,000) from September 1 – 30, 2021. Amazon Goes Gold helps fund pediatric cancer research, and is marking the campaign’s fifth year by highlighting important research over the last five years. Systematic ongoing follow-up of pediatric cancer patients who survive their disease is important to provide for early detection of and intervention for potentially serious late-onset complications. In […]

Assorted news from the last week: Research led by SickKids and the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre found that a novel cancer predisposition screening tool shows promise for helping doctors better predict which childhood cancer survivors may be at risk of developing future cancers. A Lancet study examined a global cohort of children and adolescents with cancer and COVID-19. Children and adolescents with cancer and SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to develop severe and critical cases of COVID-19 compared with the general pediatric population. A new study has shown that the tumor-inhibiting gene TET2 is silenced […]

Assorted news from the last week: Study finds cancer screening tool may help predict risk of developing new cancer among childhood cancer survivors. NCI has formed a new task force that aims to address gaps in information about quality of life experienced by AYA cancer survivors.  This task force will gather information directly from AYAs on how cancer and cancer treatments affect their quality of life—information known as patient-reported outcomes. A key goal of the task force is developing ways to standardize the collection of patient-reported outcomes from AYAs participating in clinical trials conducted through the NCI Community Oncology Research […]

Assorted news from the last week: The STAR Act was crafted by parents, doctors, and organizations who strive to make a difference for children with cancer and their families, in partnership with legislators and others.  CAC2 Member Danielle Leach explains its importance in this CDC blog post. Adding temozolomide to a combination of vincristine and irinotecan (VIT) improved tumor response and survival in patients with relapsed or refractory rhabdomyosarcoma in a European phase II trial. In some children with acute myeloid leukemia, cancer cells have the same amount of DNA changes as healthy blood stem cells. Researchers were surprised to […]

Assorted news from the last week: New York Times op-ed piece by CNN investigative reporter Andrew Kaczynski on the financial toxicity of a childhood cancer diagnosis (gated). Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have created a laboratory model for studying retinoblastoma driven by inherited mutations in the RB1 gene. Adam Haydn argues that scientists need a better way to follow and learn from long-term survivors. New NCI task force focuses on quality of life for AYAs with cancer. Upcoming Webinars and Online Opportunities: Video links available for the public sessions of the 2021 CAC2 Annual Summit. Pediatric nurse practitioners […]

Assorted news from the last two weeks: CAC2 Member blog post:  “Diagnostic delays may be improved with targeted programs. The HeadSmart program, a web-based national awareness campaign in the United Kingdom decreased time to diagnosis for pediatric brain tumors by half (3). HeadSmart included partnering with parents via “safety netting.” When symptoms did not lead to an immediate diagnosis, plans were made with the patient/parent about next steps if the problem did not resolve. This included return visits within a given time and specialist referrals if symptoms persisted or worsened.” Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have found a […]