HCA Healthcare’s Post

🎗️ Pediatric Cancer Awareness: Grace's Brave Battle and the Call for More Support 🎗️ Every September, we rally for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, a cause profoundly personal to our family. Our daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age two, launching a four-year struggle. This month, as we commemorate Grace's journey, we are using her photo from seven years ago, a reminder of her incredible strength. Grace's Diagnosis: At two, Grace's life took a painful turn with a brain cancer diagnosis. Her strength led us through surgeries, chemotherapy, and countless fearful moments. Four Years of Treatment: We became a fixture in the pediatric oncology ward, where Grace faced treatments with courage and a radiant smile, reminding us to cherish life's fleeting moments. Loss and Triumph: We witnessed the bravery of young warriors—some tragically lost, others victorious. Their stories underscore the potential for progress. Funding Shortage: Despite its devastating impact, pediatric cancer research and treatment funding remains critically insufficient. Support St. Jude's: Organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital lead the charge. They advance research, provide top-tier treatment, and ensure families avoid financial hardship. This Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, please support St. Jude's and advocate for increased funding. Let's envision a future where no child faces cancer, and families can enjoy a healthy, happy childhood. 💛🎗️ #ChildhoodCancerAwareness #SupportStJudes #GraceStrong

Long-term follow-up (LTFU) care for childhood cancer survivors (CCSs) in South Korea is lacking. A nationwide online survey of pediatric hematologists/oncologists was conducted to evaluate the current status of LTFU care for childhood cancer survivors. It found that such longterm care is lacking. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/gG-tHzbZ

For the pediatric cancer community, we celebrate the month of September and dedicate ourselves for a LIFETIME to improve the care of children and young people with cancer. This change is possible through data-informed initiatives, purposeful collaborations, and equity-focused advocacy. Join us at COALITION AGAINST CHILDHOOD CANCER to be part of this movement https://cac2.org/ Here are a few news updates: The Childhood Cancer Clinical Trials Act was introduced by the Childhood Cancer Caucus on September 21, 2023. If passed, this legislation requires insurers to cover out-of-network clinical trials for routine care for children diagnosed with cancer when no in-network provider is available. https://lnkd.in/geh2z8q7 The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) announced two new trials: ACNS2021 - phase 2 study for people age 3-29 years with localized pineal and/or suprasellar CNS non-germinomatous germ cell tumor; Treatment consists of 6 cycles of chemotherapy followed by response-based whole ventricular and spinal canal radiation. ACNS2031 - phase 3 study for people age 4-21 years with low or average-risk medulloblastoma; the study will evaluate the impact of sodium thiosulfate on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity for all participants and will also evaluate craniospinal dose reduction for those with molecularly-defined low-risk disease. A list of these and other open trials for children with brain tumor can be found here : https://lnkd.in/gx3y64Vb The next International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) meeting will be held in Ottawa Canada, October 11 -14, 2023. This meeting provides a wonderful opportunity to learn from world experts, build relationships with committed partners, and enlarge the circle of childhood cancer advocates. https://siop-congress.org/ Stay updated on NCI driven research initiatives focused on pediatric cancer: https://lnkd.in/gbB4ieaE With gratitude to Dr. Victoria Buenger for helping us to stay informed. Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2) Melissa Jackson Amy Janower Weinstein Ginger Diamond Robin French Louis Stancato Mary Beth Collins #letsdothis #pediatriccancer #partnership

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is such a meaningful time for the breast cancer community as we celebrate survival and educate one another on how to save more lives from this disease.   Today, I’m honored to share a new analysis from Susan G. Komen’s Patient Care Center that sheds light on the countless barriers to breast cancer care.   In our report, housing, transportation and utilities were identified as the top financial needs for patients as they simultaneously carry the weight of life-saving medical costs. What may seem like the simplest expense can pose a life-threatening ultimatum for patients who often then delay or forgo care they need to survive.   This is where financial toxicity threatens the lives of breast cancer patients everywhere.   Thanks to generous donor support, Komen provides millions of dollars in grants each year through our direct-to-patient Financial Assistance Program—but we cannot fight financial toxicity alone.   Read more below and access our full report inside the article.   Awareness leads to education, and education leads to better outcomes for all!

Top-Ranked Pediatric Cancer Hospitals in the Great Lakes Region: 2 hospitals ranked among the 10 best in the U.S.: Cincinnati Children's and Nationwide Children's Hospital, while 2 more ranked in the top 20: Mott Children's Health Center and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. In total, 11 hospitals from the Great Lakes region were rated among the 50 best hospitals in the U.S. for pediatric cancer care in the current (2023-24) survey of American hospitals conducted by U.S. News & World Report (USNWR). While many hospitals in the region offer pediatric cancer treatment, these eleven stand apart as the top-ranked pediatric cancer hospitals in the Great Lakes region: https://lnkd.in/gaVb9R5z #pediatriccancer #pediatrichealth #hospitals Nick Penders, Joseph Shumaker, RACR, Tracie Raymond

🎗️ A powerful story that highlights the challenges and successes of childhood cancer survivors, emphasizing the need for long-term follow-up clinics. Testaments like these underscore the importance of shifting our focus from short-term survival to lifelong recovery and support. A wonderful resource for long-term survivors and their family is The Children's Oncology Group Foundation 's Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines; an invaluable lifeline of information for families navigating life after care, from our friends at the COG Foundation. https://lnkd.in/ecZCbvMD

'As it turns out, a lifetime is precisely the right unit of time to use when studying cancer survival. The expected life span of childhood cancer survivors treated before 2000 is at least 10 years shorter and perhaps 20 years shorter than average, and that isn’t good enough, Bhatia said: “We want to make sure our survivors live as long and as healthy a life as someone who has never had cancer.”' Check out this opinion piece from the The New York Times: It Takes a Lifetime to Survive Childhood Cancer: https://lnkd.in/gxkSr9tA

The good and the bad: While mortality rates are falling, pediatric cancer diagnoses are actually rising according to the CDC. So while more children are beating cancer, recovery and continued care should become a primary focus. Get a personal perspective here: https://bit.ly/44Fcgu7 #Oncology #PatientCare #CancerTreatment