Every two minutes worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer.

Fifty years ago, the overall survival rate of childhood cancer was 10%. Thanks to research efforts, today over 80% of children diagnosed with the most common types of cancers will live. This is incredible progress, but it is not enough. Some children will still receive a diagnosis with little hope for a cure.

We are blessed to be 1 in 500,000 childhood cancer survivors currently living in the United States, but our battles are not yet over. Among long-term childhood cancer survivors, over 99% will develop a chronic health problem by the age of 50 and 96% a severe or life-threatening illness as a result of cancer therapy received. The very chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery used to treat childhood cancer can cause secondary cancers, infertility, heart damage, cognitive problems, and many other late effects.

Despite the millions of dollars spent annually on cancer research, only a fraction of funding is dedicated to pediatrics.  Yet children are not simply smaller adults.  Their young, developing bodies require treatment therapies and drugs tailored to each child’s genetic makeup for a chance to cure cancer and end the threat of long-term chronic health effects.

ANKOR is proud to support St. Baldrick’s Foundation as our childhood cancer research initiative.