Hope for Childhood Cancer | Teen Ink

Hope for Childhood Cancer

July 11, 2017
By Isabel Grasis BRONZE, Nokesville, Virginia
Isabel Grasis BRONZE, Nokesville, Virginia
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Every year thousands of children are diagnosed with cancer. It is something that most kids don't need to worry about until they become one of the statistics. Luckly, the death rate for childhood cancer has steadily decreased although it is still the #1 death causing disease in children. Cancer research has become much more innovative over the years. Clinical trials are becoming more and more prevelant. So prevelant, that there has been a clinical trial for every drug approved by the FDA. Many people join clinical trials hoping to contribute in the fight to end childhood cancer, or if they have cancer themselves and are running out of options and decide to take the risk of uncertainty. The trials also find ways to assuage the symptoms that go along with the vigorous treatment. Filgratism is a more recently developed drug used after treatment to help produce white blood cells. This is extremely helpful because white blood cell counts decrease drastically after treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, which is incredibly dangerous and can make patients very sick. Although all of this progress in the cancer community has been made, there are still challenges. For one, we don't really know the causes of childhood cancer. Yes, there are theorys, but we are unsure of any definite causes. Even if we find better treatments for cancer, we can't end it once and for all, unless we get to the root of the problem, which is why people are developing it in the first place. Another issue is that children's bodys are more sensitive than adult's. Treatments like chemotherapy are toxic to young kids, and they can cause insufferable side affects. No child should be forced to suffer like that. No child should live with the fear that there life could be taken by cancer. We must continue to fight against childhood cancer, despite all the challenges. We must not stop, until we have a cure. And although the monstrous disease still preavails, there is hope.  



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