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Written by Press Release   
Friday, 05 October 2007 00:00
This article was contributed by a guest writer from Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.

Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Initiative -
Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital
Cancer is the second leading cause of death (after accidents) in children and adolescents in the United States.

The Adolescent & Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Initiative at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital’s main objective is to not only raise awareness, but help advance the development of new and needed approaches in the treatment and prevention of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer. Thanks to support from organizations such as Road of Life: Cancer Prevention for Kids, our initiative is unique in that it specifically caters to the adolescent and young adult population.

The incidence of cancer in this age group increased steadily during the past quarter century. Cancer occurring between the ages of 15 and 30 years is 2.7 times more common than cancer occurring during the first 15 years of life, yet is much less common than cancer in older age groups, and accounts for just 2% of all invasive cancer.

Childhood cancers differ from adult cancers in significant ways. They comprise a spectrum of malignancies that differ in site of origin, tissue structure and organization type, and incidence across age groups. These facts cannot be merely overlooked.

There is little financial incentive or support for the development of new drugs and biologic therapies. There are disparities in outcomes in adolescents and young adults, and many children worldwide lack access to effective therapy.

Years ago, childhood cancer was almost uniformly fatal. Today, most patients survive if treated appropriately. However, more than 70,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer every year and strides in cancer treatment have generally bypassed young adults between the ages of 15-30. Further progress requires novel approaches for patients at greater risk and greater coordinated efforts to develop less toxic therapies for the more curable cancers.

Rainbow's AYA Cancer Initiative is committed to building upon our past successes. Partnership and collaboration is so very important in successfully beating cancer. Education in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship is what makes our partnership with Road of Life so logical and rewarding. To improve the nation’s overall participation in the clinical trials process and ultimately provide better outcomes for young adults with cancer, this philosophy is a necessity. We recognize that fact and it has allowed Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital to provide the very best care and research in the field.

For more information on the AYA Cancer Initiative please visit:
http://www.rainbowbabies.org/hemonc or contact Sante Ghetti at (216) 849-5387 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 

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