The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act of 2022 was introduced by U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in an effort to assist the thousands of children who receive cancer treatment each year (S.4120). The Pediatric Cancer STAR Act, which was unanimously approved by Congress in 2018, would be renewed under this bipartisan legislation. It is the most comprehensive childhood cancer law ever passed.
The STAR Act enhances childhood cancer surveillance, provides services for survivors and those affected by childhood cancer, and advances pediatric cancer research and child-centered cancer treatments.
Since it was enacted into law, the STAR Act has contributed to the delivery of more than $120 million to fund innovative pediatric cancer research and support cancer patients and their families.
“Reauthorizing the STAR Act would increase support for young patients with cancer.
To ensure that the medical community is better prepared to identify and treat pediatric malignancies and support young patients and their families, it will focus on federal research.
The objective of one day treating cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults will be closer if the STAR Act is renewed, according to Senator Reed.
The Childhood Cancer STAR Act will fund cancer research and provide the necessary support for families of children with cancer.
In order to assist survivors in overcoming long-term health impacts including secondary malignancies, new strategies will be developed.
It made a significant difference in the lives of children with cancer, as well as childhood cancer survivors and their families, and I was extremely delighted to have been a part of the STAR Act’s passing in 2018. Since then, the Act has led to previously unheard-of financing and prospects for children cancer research, enhanced the quality of life for those who have survived the disease, and helped us better understand and track the disease’s incidence. According to Senator Capito, this reauthorization will enable these chances to continue and get us one step closer to a world free of children cancer.
According to Senator Van Hollen, who introduced the Childhood Cancer STAR Act while serving in the House of Representatives, “far too many families in Maryland and across the country deal with the nightmare of a child with cancer, and while their stories are all different, all of these mothers, fathers, and children are looking for hope.” “We battled to enact the original Childhood Cancer STAR Act for this reason, and we’re still trying to fund more research and better therapies today. This investment will ultimately help them save lives, and Maryland is honored to be the home of both NIH and NCI.
“Being diagnosed with cancer is an awful and painful event for anyone, but it’s especially difficult for kids and the caregivers who help them during their treatment. According to Senator Murkowski, the STAR Act Reauthorization adopts a multidimensional strategy to combat childhood cancer by expanding research efforts, bolstering data gathering, and enhancing the quality of life for all the heroic kids who have survived this terrible disease. In an effort to help build a world where the pronoun “you have cancer” does not exist for future generations, I’m delighted to have contributed to the introduction of a comprehensive children cancer bill.
Childhood malignancies come in more than a hundred different subtypes.
According to Children’s Cancer Cause, leukemia (28.1%) and brain/CNS cancers (26.5%) account for the majority of new cancer diagnoses in children, whereas malignant epithelial neoplasms and melanomas (23.3%) and brain/CNS cancers (21.9%) are the most common malignancies in teenagers.
Despite recent advancements in childhood cancer research, the American Cancer Society reports that among children aged 1 to 14 cancer still ranks second to accidents as the main cause of mortality. By 2022, approximately 10,500 American children under the age of 15 are expected to receive a cancer diagnosis, according to health experts.
Companion legislation is being introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Michael McCaul (R-TX).
Act of 2022 to Reauthorize Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR)
Increase Research Opportunities for Childhood Cancer: Childhood cancer research might be difficult due to the limited number of affected children and the distances between them.
As a result, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act renews and broadens the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) current initiatives to gather biospecimens from children with cancer who are enrolled in NCI-sponsored clinical trials and to gather and maintain pertinent clinical, biological, and demographic data on all children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.
This measure enables funds to state cancer registries to identify and track incidences of child, adolescent, and young adult cancer, building on prior efforts.
In order to assure early reporting and capture of child cancer incidences, identify and train reporters of childhood cancer cases, secure infrastructure, and support case collection into a national childhood cancer registry are all goals of this grant.
Enhance Opportunities for Childhood Cancer Survivors’ Quality of Life:
Unfortunately, even those who successfully battle cancer still experience late repercussions from their illness or treatment, such as additional malignancies and organ damage. This legislation will increase provider collaboration to help doctors better care for this population as they age, advance research on the long-term impacts of childhood cancers, and create a new pilot program to start investigating cutting-edge forms of care for childhood cancer survivors.
Ensure Pediatric Expertise at the National Institutes of Health (NIH): Requires the National Cancer Advisory Board to include at least one pediatric oncology expert, and would enhance the reporting standards for children’s health to include pediatric cancer.
In This Article...
What constitutes a cancer in children?
Leukemia, tumors of the brain and spinal cord, lymphomas, neuroblastomas, Wilms tumors (a form of kidney cancer), retinoblastomas, and malignancies of the bone and soft tissues are the most prevalent types of juvenile cancer. also known as childhood cancer.
What are the top 5 cancers that affect children?
Although it is uncommon for children and teenagers to develop cancer, it is the most common cause of childhood mortality in the US after infancy. In the United States, it is predicted that 15,590 kids and teenagers between the ages of 0 and 19 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2021, and 1,780 of them will pass away from it (1). In 2021, it is predicted that 10,500 children ages 0 to 14 would receive a cancer diagnosis, and 1,190 will pass away from the condition (1). An estimated 5,090 teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 will receive a cancer diagnosis, and an additional 590 will pass away from the condition.
Leukemias, brain and central nervous system (CNS) cancers, and lymphomas are the most prevalent cancer types overall in children and adolescents (ages 0 to 19) in the United States.
Leukemias are the most prevalent types of cancer in children (ages 0 to 14), followed by tumors of the brain and other parts of the central nervous system, lymphomas, neuroblastomas, kidney tumors, and malignant bone tumors (1).
Brain and other CNS tumors, lymphomas, thyroid cancer, gonadal (testicular and ovarian) germ cell tumors, and malignant bone tumors are the most prevalent cancers among teenagers (ages 15 to 19). (1).
The most prevalent kinds of childhood cancer occur at different rates in various racial and ethnic groups. For instance, Hispanic children’s leukemia rate was nearly twice that of Black children’s between 2013 and 2017, among children aged 0 to 14. (2). White children have higher incidence of brain and other CNS cancers in 20142018 than all other racial and ethnic groups combined (3, 4).
Approximately 483,000 childhood and teenage cancer survivors (diagnosed at ages 0 to 19 years) were still alive in the United States as of January 1, 2018 (the most recent date for which data are available) (5). Given that childhood cancer incidence has been somewhat rising in recent decades and that overall survival rates are improving, the number of survivors will keep rising.
How many children with cancer have survived?
In the US, there are 500,000 estimated childhood cancer survivors. Despite recent improvements in survival rates for many juvenile malignancies, survivors often experience persistent health issues connected to their treatment.
Which childhood tumors are the deadliest?
Reuters: ATLANTA According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brain cancer has surpassed leukemia as the most deadly type of juvenile cancer in the country. This is because new treatments have made it possible to treat many blood-related malignancies.
What shade of ribbon represents childhood cancer?
During the negotiations over the release of the Iranian hostages, the yellow ribbon served as a vehicle for disseminating the message of hope, solidarity, and awareness regarding that crisis. This marked the beginning of the widespread use of ribbons in America as symbolic representations of a particular message or campaign. Since that time, ribbons have been used to raise awareness for a wide range of issues, including AIDS (red ribbon), breast cancer (pink ribbon), suicide prevention (yellow ribbon), and many more. Without using a single word, ribbons communicate a clear message that can cut over language borders and affect people all across the world.
The gold ribbon serves as the disease’s universal awareness symbol. The gold ribbon represents all types of cancer that afflict children and adolescents, in contrast to other cancer awareness ribbons that concentrate on a single type of cancer.
History of the Gold Ribbon
Although several colors were taken into consideration, it was decided that gold would be the best option for raising awareness of childhood cancer because gold is a precious metal and is thus the appropriate hue to reflect the most precious thing in our livesour children.
As a result of the hard work and commitment of this group of parents in the early years of our organization, the CCCF supported the creation of the first gold ribbons in 1997 (in the form of lapel pins). Today, the gold ribbon is a globally known symbol for childhood cancer awareness.
Which type of childhood cancer is most prevalent?
The most prevalent cancers in children are leukemias, which are blood and bone marrow cancers. About 28% of all childhood malignancies are caused by them. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia are the most prevalent forms in youngsters (AML). These leukemias might manifest as fever, weight loss, pale skin, weariness, weakness, bone and joint pain, bleeding or bruising, and other symptoms. Since acute leukemias can spread quickly, they must be treated right away (usually with chemotherapy).
What are the three precursors to cancer?
Cancer Warning Signs
- Unaccounted-for weight loss
- appetite loss.
- new, enduring discomfort
- continuous nausea or vomiting
- stool with blood (either visible or detectable by special tests)
Inherited versus acquired gene mutations
Some children acquire DNA alterations (mutations) from a parent that raise their chance of developing particular cancer kinds. Every cell in the child’s body has undergone these changes, which can frequently be detected by testing the DNA of blood cells or other bodily cells. While some of these DNA alterations are merely associated with a higher chance of developing cancer, others can result in syndromes that involve additional health or developmental issues.
But inherited DNA alterations do not account for the majority of childhood malignancies. They are the outcome of early in a child’s life, and occasionally even before birth, DNA alterations. A cell must duplicate its DNA each time it divides into two new cells. Errors can occasionally arise in this process, especially when the cells are expanding quickly. An acquired mutation is a specific type of gene mutation that can occur at any point in life. Acquired mutations only exist in the cancer cells of the individual and are not passed on to their offspring.
Sometimes the reasons why specific adult malignancies’ genes alter are known (such as cancer-causing chemicals in cigarette smoke). However, it is unknown what causes DNA alterations in the majority of pediatric malignancies. Others may have unidentified causes, while some may have external sources like radiation exposure. However, many are probably the outcome of random occurrences that occasionally take place inside a cell without an external reason.
How can cancer be prevented?
Think about these cancer preventive suggestions.
- Avoid using tobacco. Any sort of cigarette use puts you at risk for developing cancer.
- Adopt a balanced diet.
- Keep a healthy weight and engage in physical activity.
- Take sun protection measures.
- Abstain from dangerous actions.
- Get routine medical attention.
How long do people who survive childhood cancer live?
As new treatments have been developed over the past 50 years, the survival rate for children with cancer has significantly increased. Today, more than 80% of children and teenagers with cancer can expect a five-year or longer survival. But what about in the long run?
