Shahrin Ahmed: Time for raising awareness about the realities of childhood cancer

Shahrin Ahmed, Medical Specialist at Canadian Cancer Society, shared on X:

“September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a time for raising awareness about the realities of childhood cancer. The importance of life-saving research is stressed by them and they come together to make a difference for children who have been diagnosed.

The situation is pressing – the rates of infertility are on the rise, and cancer is the primary cause of death by disease for children. CURE’s investment in critical research is aimed at achieving safer and more effective cures for children, and there are numerous ways you can contribute to this month.

Children and adolescents in Canada are most likely to die from disease due to cancer. In this country, around 10,000 children have cancer and 1,500 more are diagnosed every year. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) are involved.

Over the past five years (2016-2017 to 2020-2021), our government has spent over $1 billion on cancer research and over $61 million on pediatric cancer research. The highest quality care, new treatments, and opportunities for children to live longer and healthier lives are being provided through these investments in significant strides.

Pediatric cancers are the most common cause of death from disease in children between the ages of 1 and 14 years, even though they are rare. In recent years, pediatric cancer has seen an improvement in the five-year survival rate, from 58-68% in the 1970s to 83-88% in recent years.

Children commonly experience acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors, lymphoma, and neuroblastoma. Together, these cancers account for approximately half of the new cases each year.

Our ability to advance cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment will be greatly enhanced by investing in research and championing global knowledge sharing. Our goal is to improve the health and quality of life of children who are affected by cancer in Canada and worldwide.”

Source: Shahrin Ahmed/X