Progress in Childhood Cancer

Over the last 40 years, as a result of President Nixon’s signing of the National Cancer Act, cancer research has been given national attention, advancing the way kids with cancer are treated and increasing cure rates significantly.

PBS NewsHour aired a segment last night, “Kids and Cancer: Why Pediatric Cancer Cure Rates Have Improved So Much,” (see below) featuring Dr. Michael Link, the president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Link spoke to the progress made in childhood cancer treatments, largely as a result of high enrollment of kids with cancer on clinical trials.

Dr. Link is among the expert advisors who help ensure that St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds are directed to the best childhood cancer research projects, to research that will make the biggest difference for kids. He co-chaired the Foundation’s first Research Priorities Summit in 2010 and was a key participant in the 2012 Summit which took place January 7-8.

Even with vast advancements, there is still work to be done. “This is way more complicated than we thought, cancer is not one disease, cancer is a multitude of diseases,” says Dr. Link. And some types of childhood cancer, such as brain tumors and high-risk neuroblastoma, are still very difficult to cure.

Watch Kids and Cancer: Why Pediatric Cancer Cure Rates Have Improved So Much on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.