Hailey is a 4-year-old cancer patient at the Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She's in remission after treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common cancer found in children. CHOP chose Hailey to be a Childhood Cancer Awareness Month spokesperson and an ambassador for its largest annual fundraiser, the Four Seasons Parkway Run & Walk, because she never let cancer keep her from being a kid.

In 2013, more than 10,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer, and about 1,500 will die from their disease. And although survival rates for many childhood cancers have improved dramatically over the past few decades, cancer is still the second leading cause of death in children.

Clinical trials for childhood cancer are among the fastest and safest ways to find treatments that work against these diseases. Philanthropic support is critical to funding ongoing research by our childhood cancer experts, and helping cover the costs of enrolling children on experimental therapies.

Join Alex and his classmates on a journey to learn how childhood cancers affect the body, and how different treatment options work.

A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, and in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma. A phase 1 clinical trial of the drug crizotinib achieved remissions, with minimal side effects, for 10 of the children participating in a clinical study carried out by the multicenter Children's Oncology Group (COG). Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researcher Yael Mossé, MD, led the trial. It was the result of nearly two decades of work by collaborating researchers.

*** The story of a young girl with a brain tumor and the care that she received at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Scientific research has demonstrated links between environmental exposures and the development of childhood cancers. Furthermore, studies have shown that childhood cancer survivors are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of environmental risks such as air pollution. Leukemia is the most common cancer in children living in industrialized countries, with incidence rates dramatically increasing in the past few decades in certain populations. This rapid upward trend points to the important role of the “environment” in a broad sense, whether acting alone or in concert with genetic factors. During this webinar, Dr. Catherine Metayer presented results on children’s and parents’ exposures to carcinogens such as those contained in paints, solvents, pesticides, air pollution, and tobacco smoke and the risk of childhood leukemia. Dr. Metayer also discussed maternal diet during pregnancy and prenatal folate/vitamin supplementation and the reduced risk of childhood leukemia. She concluded, highlighting the need for prevention programs to reduce harmful environmental exposures and promote healthy lifestyles, especially targeting vulnerable populations.

There are a number of potential air and water pollutants emitted during unconventional oil and gas operations that may be harmful to human health, including carcinogens like benzene. Dr. Shaina L. Stacy’s research in Pennsylvania has contributed to a growing body of work, which suggests living close to unconventional gas development can lead to adverse infant health outcomes. Dr. Stacy discussed this previous research, as well as ongoing work investigating potential impacts on childhood cancer risk, particularly leukemia. To conclude, she highlighted recommendations for how scientists can design and conduct improved epidemiology studies of the health effects of unconventional gas development going forward.

Fine particulate matter air pollution is a known risk factor for respiratory illness that is especially potent among persons with pre-existing pulmonary conditions. Childhood cancer survivors have a high propensity for severe lung conditions due to the long-term toxicities of cancer treatment. The effect of air pollution on the risk for adverse respiratory events among cancer survivors has not been widely studied. During this presentation, Dr. Judy Y. Ou presented novel research on the association between exposure to fine particulate matter and respiratory healthcare events in a young cancer cohort in Utah, a state with severe short-term particulate matter pollution.