Survivorship Matters Blog–Childhood Cancer and Bullying – It’s More Common, and Has Greater Impact, Than You Think

Survivorship Matters Blog By CAC2 Member Mary Beth Collins My introduction to childhood cancer and bullying was in 1999 on a neuroblastoma listserve with ACOR (American Cancer Online Resources), the way parents and specialists congregated together before the explosion of social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. My son had only been in treatment a few months, and a parent was sharing an incident that happened on the playground. Her son had been looking forward to getting well enough to return to school, and his fellow classmates decided at recess to taunt him by pretending to be afraid of [...] Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Bright IDEAS for Everyday Living

Our May CAC2 All-member webinar hosted Dr. Robert B. Noll, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Noll introduced and explained the Bright IDEAS problem solving technique for families facing the stress of diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. This presentation reviewed the history of efforts to ameliorate a universal psychosocial problem in pediatric oncology (caregiver distress), especially at diagnosis. Dr. Noll explained the approach spearheaded by Bright IDEAS, and shared results from three research trials involving over 1400 caregivers. He also discussed efforts supported by the National Cancer Institute, Children’s Oncology Group, Association of Pediatric Oncologists, [...] Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Data Sharing in the Digital Age

Our April CAC2 All-member webinar was hosted by Amanda Haddock (Dragon Master Foundation) who welcomed and introduced fellow CAC2 member Dr. Warren Kibbe, Chief of Translational Biomedical Informatics in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, and Chief Data Officer at Duke Cancer Institute.  Dr. Kibbe helped us all understand why we should all care about data sharing, a topic that roared into national prominence in the State of the Union speech in February 2019.  You can view the presentation by clicking the link below The role of publications, release of data, and well-documented scientific plans changed radically as we entered the digital [...] Read more

Survivorship Matters Blogg–The Academic Impact of Childhood Cancer Treatment Side Effects

Survivorship Matters Blog By CAC2 Member Mary Beth Collins “Your child has to be alive to experience side effects.”  It’s a statement commonly heard by parents reviewing treatment protocol for a child newly diagnosed with a pediatric cancer.  At that moment, one is only focused on desperately keeping a child alive and achieving No Evidence of Disease, or ”NED” as is commonly referenced. At that time, it’s almost impossible to consider quality of life factors when parents are terrified that without treatment they will lose their child.  According to the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2) Fact Library, more than 95% […]

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Survivorship Matters Blog–What Is Survivorship?

What is survivorship?  For anyone touched by childhood cancer, the word is intimate, emotional, and somewhat complicated. Whether you are a child in treatment or beyond, parent, friend, practitioner, or researcher, the word is familiar, personal, and identifying. For each person, the word represents something unique. Is it just a label? Is it elusive? Is it a dream never realized? Is it a charge? Is it determinant? A proclamation? A destination? A victory? A curse?  An honor? Survivorship in its entirety embodies all of this.   All versions are worth exploring, if we are going to really embrace what survivorship means […]

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CAC2 Webinar–Childhood Cancer Advocacy: National and International Voices and Action!

February's All-Member Webinar was presented by Ruth Hoffman, President of Childhood Cancer International and Danielle Leach, Co-Chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer. This CAC2 webinar contains details about this year’s celebration of International Childhood Cancer Day happening mid-February and about Childhood Cancer Action Days scheduled this year for March, 26-27 in Washington, DC. For your convenience and so that you can access specific links, the presentation slide decks are posted below. The panelists graciously allowed us to share their slide deck as well. The panelists graciously allowed us to share the ACC Briefing Slidedeck. Read more

CAC2 Webinar–MyPART: My Pediatric and Adult Rare Tumors Network for Patient Engagement in Rare Solid Tumors Research

December's All-Member Webinar was presented by Dr. Karlyne Reilly, Director of the Center for Cancer Research Rare Tumor Initiative at the National Cancer Institute. Rare tumors pose unique challenges for patients, their families, and the researchers working to develop new therapies. In this webinar Dr. Reilly reviewed these specific challenges and how increased patient engagement in rare tumor research can help to overcome them. MyPART is a patient engagement network being developed in the Center for Cancer Research at NCI focused on children, adolescents, and young adults with rare solid tumors. Dr. Reilly described the network being developed and the goals to [...] Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Functional and Social Independence in Adult Survivors of Pediatric Brain Tumors

October's All-Member webinar was presented by Tara Brinkman, PhD, Assistant Member in the Departments of Epidemiology and Cancer Control and Psychology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Dr. Brinkman's recent, first-of-its- kind study sheds light on the degree of achievement of independence by survivors of pediatric brain tumors. Her talk highlighted the prevalence of independence and risk factors associated with non-independence in adult survivors. As part of the presentation, Dr. Brinkman reviewed the impact of independence on quality of life and emotional distress and discussed the implications for interventions. Read more

CAC2 Webinar–Understanding and Enhancing the Role of Children with Cancer and their Parents in Pediatric Oncology Drug Development

This month's webinar was presented by Stacy Crane, Predoctoral Fellow at Indiana University School of Nursing.  She described the experience of participating in a Phase I clinical trial from the perspective of the parents of children battling cancer. While overall, parents do not regret their child participating in a phase I clinical trial and would recommend participation to other parents of children with cancer, there are implications for clinicians and researchers who work with children with cancer and their families. One way to improve experiences in early phase clinical trial participation is to ensure that the side effects that impact the patients during these [...] Read more