Rare Cancers Awareness Day

Children's cancer is different.

The treatments and drugs used for adults are not directly transferable to children, and there are no obvious behavioural preventions like giving up smoking or staying out of the sun. By definition, all childhood cancers are rare, making up less than one percent of the total number of new cancer diagnoses in Australia each year.

This difference also extends to research. Paediatric oncology is one of the very few areas in which clinical research is seamlessly integrated with clinical care. No other field has a higher level of patient enrolment in clinical trials. This integration has led to huge improvements in treatment and personalised medicine programs like Zero Childhood Cancer, which The Kids’ Cancer Project started funding in its infancy over a decade ago. Moving one step closer to all children surviving cancer is a primary goal of The Kids’ Cance Project

The rarity of childhood cancer means international collaborations in research and clinical trials are absolutely essential.

Clinical trials are expensive. These costs aren’t included in hospital operating budgets, and the money doesn’t generally come from pharmaceutical industry sponsors either, because the rarity of children’s cancer means there isn’t much economic incentive for them to do so. This is where philanthropy and The Kids’ Cancer Project step in.

It can also be difficult for clinicians to gain access to targeted drugs and other therapeutic agents. In some cases, this is due to the expense and logistical challenges, as it is less attractive for biopharmaceutical companies to participate in paediatric trials.

The Kids’ Cancer Project continues to support these challenges for the benefit of children and adolescents with cancer in Australia and New Zealand through the Australian and New Zealand Children’s Haematology/Oncology Group ANZCHOG. This support inadvertently has a knock-on effect across the world.

As we approach the end of the financial year, we invite you to join us in the fight against childhood cancer. Your generous donations directly support vital research and clinical trials that are crucial in developing effective treatments for our youngest and most vulnerable patients.