Pediatric Cancer Research Paper

More Funding for Pediatric Cancer

Studies show that one in five kids who are diagnosed with cancer will die. This horrifying disease is the second cause of death in children and infants. Pediatric Cancer can not only affect the child who is going through various tests and therapy, but also the supporting family who watched their son or daughter grow. Millions of money is donated every year, but yet there still will be, in 2015, more than 10,000 reported cases of children under 15. Out of those 16,000, more than 1,000 are expected to die (Cancer Facts and Statistics). This statistic is horrible, and maybe if more money were funded, then those children will live. Pediatric Cancer is severely underfunded and overlooked, especially in the United

States. Though it makes up only 1% of all cancer, it is the second cause of death in children, right after accidents (One Family’s Experience with Childhood Cancer). This proves that more money should be given, so that children can be saved.
Anyone can be diagnosed with cancer whether they are two or 102. One story is of Natalie Gorsegner, a two-year-old girl, who woke up one morning with green and red blood vessels all over her face. Her mom had no idea what to expect so they called the pediatrician. They told her to go to the hospital, and by the time they got there, Natalie’s eye was encrusted shut. They found out she had Leukemia, one of many types of pediatric cancer, and this was one of many stages. Many people do not realize the struggles that families undergo when their child has cancer. In some cases, at least one parent has to quit their job in order to be there for the child. In the Gorsegner case, they had another little girl. All the time is being devoted to the cancerous daughter while the cancer-free daughter may feel excluded. Another story of a girl with cancer is Morgan Donato. At just seven years old, Morgan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL. She was taken directly to CHOP, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “This is not the story you write for yourself,” says Amy Donato, the loving mother of Morgan, after multiple years of life in-and-out of the hospital. Morgan suffered as a child through two bone marrow transplants. For any child, that is a lot of stress and pain. If more money were funded to pediatric research, which would benefit all types of Leukemia and also other diseases, Morgan may have had a shorter stay at the hospital, and also would not have missed those crucial years of education. Another reason why having a cancerous child is so hard is the cancer treatment costs. The total cost, not counting insurance, can vary depending on how serious the condition is and how many treatments that person may need. For example, chemotherapy, which is one of many cures for cancer, can range anywhere from $20,000-$200,000 (“C” WBE 215). With only one parent’s income, that money can seem totally unaffordable. If more money were funded to pediatric research, then the cost of treatment may go down because the treatment machines would not be as expensive. This will result in making payments for treatments and medicines a little more affordable. Not only can raising a child with cancer can be heartbreaking and devastating, but it can also drain your bank account.
Many people confuse pediatric cancer with adult cancer. A child is not just a smaller adult; they have a totally different body system and need different medicine, treatments, etcetera. Cancer in general is given a huge amount of money, and pediatric cancer is at the bottom of the list. Children are delicate when it comes to treatments and needles and it is much harder to work with a child than an adult. For example, some kids with cancer are so young that they cannot describe how they are feeling. When the doctors are not sure how the child is feeling, because they cannot communicate, then it is hard to diagnose exactly what that child has. If the treatment needs to be performed immediately, and the infant does not know what is going on, then the child has a greater risk of dying. If more money were to be funded to pediatric cancer, then maybe that child could have lived.
There are many differences between being diagnosed with cancer as a child and being diagnosed as an adult. For a child, depending on their treatment schedule, could miss years of important education. Without years of education, the child could miss simple things such as addition, multiplication, and much more. As to adults, their bodies are more prepared for cancer, so they can adjust to a schedule of treatment. On the other hand, kids need to take immediate action. A study shows that kids respond better to chemotherapy than adults do. After the cancer has gone away, kids can bounce back and resume their life as normal, except they need to make up the years of school that they may have missed.
Though there are many types of cancer in children, the most common is Leukemia, which is a cancer of the bone marrow. The bone marrow is vital to the body. It produces three types of blood cells. The first, white blood cells which help fight infections. The second is the red blood cells which carry oxygen to the lungs and to other parts of the body. Lastly, the platelets, provided by the bone marrow, help stop bleeding. These three blood cells are essential for health and the bone marrow controls them all. When the cells becomes cancerous, it starts to destroy everywhere in the body. Symptoms can include fevers, infections, and fatigue. The only way to get rid of the cancerous cells is to have a bone-marrow transplant which usually comes from a relative. Any donor must be strong, healthy, and completely willing and capable.
The cause of pediatric cancer is mostly unknown.

Some of the causes include: genetic abnormalities or exposure to radiation or other harmful chemicals. It is very scary to find out that almost anyone can be exposed to cancer at any age.

Cancer can cause lifetime side-effects for adults and children. For example, of a girl who is five years old may take four years to complete her treatment. She is now considered cancer-free, except she is now at risk of having children in the future.

For pediatric cancer, the most common is Leukemia. There are four main types of Leukemia: acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL, acute myeloid leukemia AML, chronic lymphocytic leukemia CLL and chronic myeloid leukemia CML. The chronic leukemias occur when two chromosomes switch place. This produces enzymes, and these enzymes trigger cell growth. It may take as much as 10 years for chronic cancers to fully develop. More and more white blood cells start appearing. They resemble normal blood cells, but are actually very harmful to the body. The other most common type of Leukemia is acute. This cancer, unlike the chronic cancers, develop very quickly. Premature white blood cells start multiplying very quickly. Seventy percent of all cases can be cured through chemotherapy, radiation, or bone marrow transplant

(216).
The government has taken some steps to try and boost the quantity and quality of the drugs administered to the children. The Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act, issued in 1994, states that the FDA will inspect all drugs and also raise the quality. The FDA will continue to produce only high-quality drugs for pediatric cancer patients. This was a very smart law passed by the government. Along with new laws about pediatric cancer, there have also been many new medicines for children. One is Gleevec, which is a drug that blocks the action of the enzyme. This drug is highly effective for treating kids with Leukemia, especially Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. This is a special drug because the side-effects are minimal. This drug helps the cancer patient who is already experiencing side effects from other medications they are taking.
Along with creating new drugs for the pediatric patients, the government also gives over three hundred million dollars each fiscal year. To be exact, the government allotted nearly 3.4 billion dollars to pediatric research in 2014. This year, the amount is supposed to increase by a few billion. Though this may seem like a lot of money, it can suddenly disappear with all of the treatment research, the medicine, and also the worker’s paychecks. Now even with that said, try and compare this money to some of the other research funding allowances. In 2014, over one hundred billion was donated to Clinical Research. For the category of Infectious Diseases, the NIH is expected to give, in 2015, around five billion. When compared to other diseases, pediatric cancer is underfunded and if more money was designated, then more children’s lives would be saved (NIH). It is estimated that in 2015, there will be around 16,000 new pediatric cancer cases (One Family's Experience with Childhood Cancer). That is sixteen thousand kids who are now at risk of having multiple years in the hospital, or even dying.
Special treatments take place for special cases of pediatric cancer but the most common treatments are: chemotherapy, radiation, and bone marrow transplant.

Chemotherapy, which is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to target and destroy the cancer cells, is the most-common route of a patient diagnosed with Leukemia. It can come via pill, cream on your skin, or even an injection. Although this treatment sounds harmless, it can actually start affecting other parts of your body that were otherwise healthy, and can also cost a fortune. Another treatment option is radiation. This treatment option uses high-energy waves to destroy cancerous cells. A disadvantage of this procedure is that it has a likely-chance of killing normal cells which are not doing any harm to the body. Side effects will depend on certain situations. The third procedure is bone marrow transplant. As described earlier, the bone marrow transplant has to come from a relative or someone with the same body structure as the patient. Any donor must be healthy and willing. The bone marrow is crucial to your body,and if anything goes wrong, it could affect the whole body. Each of these solutions for a child with cancer have pros and

cons.
Cancer in children is the second cause of death in the United States alone (What Are the Key Statistics for Childhood Cancer). Imagine if those deaths could be cut into a smaller fraction. More of these children’s lives would be saved, allowing them to live the years ahead of them. Children, unlike adults, have so much more life to live. They need to travel all over, go to school, and get a job. If pediatric cancer was given more money each year, then more children could be saved. With more money, children would be able to return to school faster and therefore, start or continue their education. Especially around second grade through eighth grade, it is crucial that children take in all that they can otherwise they will fall behind. If a third grader were diagnosed with Leukemia and treatment takes three years to complete, then the child resumes school and may have to restart his education in third grade. This means he is now three years behind. Missing education is restraining these kids from continuing their career. Another disadvantage of having cancer as a child is the life you are missing out on. Adults with cancer have the time to slow down and deal with the cancer, and as for children they have so much to experience and learn.
Some children are so young that they cannot grasp what the situation is. If they are infants, then they have no idea what is going on around them. These specific children can be extremely hard to work with. That situation is very hard to diagnose, and in most situations, sometimes it is too late to save the child. For a mother with a newborn baby, this can be very hard to overcome. With more money, more of the children’s lives can be saved. Though giving more money to pediatric cancer research would help the children and might even save them, there are a few downsides to giving more money towards the children. Some of the money may be misused. This money could be stolen or taken and used in ways that are nonessential to the research. Once all the money is donated, every dollar must be recorded so that nothing gets lost or taken throughout the process. It is understood that this money that could be given to pediatric cancer could also fund other diseases such as AIDS, Measles, or Malaria. These diseases are present in kids today but cancer is more common in children. Although it is very important to divide the money so that in every use it is being used appropriately. If most of it went to pediatric cancer, then many children’s lives would be saved. That is why more money should be given to the cancerous children rather than other diseases.
This new money that would be donated to pediatric cancer could also be donated to the government. The government could always use new money to fund public areas. The money could go to creating and updating new parks for children. The money could also be used to boost forests and also roads and architecture. More planted trees will benefit the air quality and also replace the trees being cut down. There are always roads that need to be repaired and are in need of new paint. As for architecture, multiple buildings that need to be repaired in various cities can be repaired. A good option for the money could also be for education. Schools who are struggling would really appreciate the money, especially in struggling countries who may not have the money to buy supplies for the students or teachers. Although all of the options for the new donated money are beneficial, children with cancer need it the most. If more lives can be saved, then the option of saving lives is a priority.
More funds should be donated to the research of cancer in children. Kids can be very difficult to work with especially when they are very young. Children can miss years of pivotal education which can be hard to make up. Kids are fragile, and should not have to experience a hospital for consecutive years. They should be able to make friends at school and go on fun field trips, especially in middle school. This can be very heartbreaking for the family aiding the child. So in order to save these children’s lives, more money needs to be designated to pediatric cancer research.