The Idaho Statesman, Boise, J. Martin Johnston column: J. Martin Johnston: Despite prevalence of childhood cancer, research is being slashed

Jun. 21--Childhood cancer. As the father of one of my patients recently noted, these two words don't belong in the same sentence. But cancer in children is not as rare as you might think: Roughly one in 300 people will be diagnosed with cancer by age 20. Put another way, my partners and I will...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMcClatchy - Tribune Business News p. 1
Main Author J. Martin Johnston
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published Washington Tribune Content Agency LLC 21.06.2007
Subjects
Cancer therapies
Children & youth
Leukemia
Medical prognosis
Medical research
Pediatrics
Research funding
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Summary:Jun. 21--Childhood cancer. As the father of one of my patients recently noted, these two words don't belong in the same sentence. But cancer in children is not as rare as you might think: Roughly one in 300 people will be diagnosed with cancer by age 20. Put another way, my partners and I will diagnose and treat about 40 new cases of childhood cancer at the St. Luke's Mountain States Tumor Institute this year. I know this story all too well. Not only do I treat children with cancer; my own son, David, is a survivor of childhood leukemia, diagnosed on his third birthday. Despite responding initially to standard therapy, his leukemia later relapsed. The prognosis was grim. David was then treated according to a protocol developed by the Children's Cancer Group, an international cooperative. With this therapy, David beat long odds. He has been off treatment for more than nine years now and is preparing to start his sophomore year in high school.