Pediatric Cancer Article in EBN

“In the 1950s and 1960s, 4% of children survived with that diagnosis [leukemia].  In 2010, 80% to 85% of children in all risk categories survived and are cured.”  Dr. Beverly Bell, Medical Director of the oncology program at inVentiv Medical Management

This is a quote from the June 1, 2012 article titled Trial and Error in Employee Benefit News.  It’s an important fact as we watch cancer go from a terminal diagnosis and medical event to a chronic disease.  Working with the survivors is something that Dr. Bell and I have discussed several times.

Here are some other facts from the article:

• 1/3 of childhood cancers are leukemias.
• 10,400 kids under 15 in the US were diagnosed with leukemia in 2007.
• About 1,545 of them will die fro the disease.
• Approximately 75-80% of pediatric cancer patients are put on a clinical trial.

The article goes on to talk about several things to consider:

• Plan language modifications.
• Access to pediatric oncology nurses.
• Access to a oncology network of centers of excellence.
• General support for the entire family perhaps through an EAP program.
• Hospice care.
• Medical travel / tourism.

Creating a holistic strategy to address oncology is a big effort and one that is critical to helping these patients.