(This article comes courtesy of MissouriNet.)
More kids are surviving cancer—but more are being diagnosed, too.
That’s the message from MU Health Care oncologist Dr. Tyler Severance, who said while childhood cancer survival rates are improving, the number of cases is also on the rise.
“And if we were to quote exact numbers, I want to say it’s about 14 pediatric patients per 100 was the diagnosed incidence of pediatric cancer in the mid to late 70s and now it’s closer to 18 to 19 patients per 100,000 in the last decade or so,” said Severance.
Severance said the latest technology to treat childhood cancer is right here in Missouri.
“And it’s the same chemotherapy, same treatment they would get if they were diagnosed in San Francisco and London and Japan, you name it,” said Severance. “In the 12 months since the Children’s Hospital has opened, we have had more patients diagnosed and treated with pediatric cancer here at Mizzou than any other one-year period in the preceding 2 1/2 decades.”
MU Health Care is reminding that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month—a time to recognize the progress being made and the challenges that remain for families across Missouri and beyond.
