Your chance of surviving lung cancer is better, but it’s still a leading cause of death, there’s a simple fix no one’s using
CNNNOV 2023
The rate at which children are beating cancer today is a tremendous success that should be celebrated. However, these numbers are usually in reference to five-year survival rates, which, for a child in particular, is devastatingly short. The reason pediatric cancer is so unique it that is often originates in utero, meaning it can progress before a baby is even born. With only 4% of federal cancer research funding going toward pediatric cancer, the US is far from reaching the 10-, 20-, or 40-year survival rates these children deserve.
The problem isn't that cancer research isn't advancing fast enough, but rather that it's being applied inequitably. This report shows that White children over the past ten years were far more likely to survive cancer than their Black and Hispanic counterparts, which is a sign that certain populations are receiving more resources than others. Cancer won't be defeated until every patient, regardless of color, receives an equal amount of time, energy, and support.