Each day, 43 kids in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer. It is the number one cause of death by disease among children.
Each day, 43 kids in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer. It is the number one cause of death by disease among children.
The #MoreThan4 movement is small, but growing every day. The largest barrier the movement faces is the lack of awareness. Our goal is to make this issue known.
#MoreThan4 refers to the fact that pediatric oncology research receives less than 4% of the federal funding allocated to cancer research. With such little funding for research, very few drugs have been developed for use in pediatric patients. Children are often given treatments tailored to adult bodies, which is the reason childhood cancer survivors have such high rates of secondary cancers, chronic illnesses, organ failure, heart disease, and other late effects.
We believe that children deserve to live long, healthy lives. We believe that children deserve medications that will not harm them further. We believe that children deserve #MoreThan4.
"Over half of the pharmacological interventions we use for hospitalized children are off-label or unlicensed drugs. The challenge for clinical care is that health care providers may fail to use medications that are indeed effective... or even those that bring unintended harm. Child health care providers must often rely on evidence that has been generated on adult populations" (PubMed).
Children are NOT just small adults. "Both the safety and efficacy profiles of medications may be significantly different for children than adults due to differences in developmental physiology, disease pathophysiology, or developmental pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.” (Source)
95% of children who survive their primary cancer suffer severe late-effects, which are often debilitating and sometimes lethal. Survivors of childhood cancer are 8x more likely than their siblings to have severe or life-threatening chronic health conditions such as secondary cancers and organ failure. (Source)
According to the FDA, “Experts say the historical lack of pediatric drug testing is due to a combination of reasons. The primary reason is that pharmaceutical companies generally have viewed children as a market that would bring only small financial benefits.”
National Pediatric Cancer Foundation is a great source for general information and satistics.
American Childhood Cancer Organization is another good source for general info and stats!
National Cancer Institute- this source generally discusses the late effects that over 95% of pediatric cancer survivors endure.
American Psychological Association is a wonderful source that evaluates the psychological impact of pediatric cancer on the child as well as family/caregivers.
National Library of Medicine- this source provides a deeper understanding of the magnitude of late effects, specifically cardiovascular late effects. "Childhood cancer survivors are at a 15-fold increased risk of developing congestive heart failure and are at a 7-fold higher risk of premature death due to cardiac causes when compared with the general population."
PLOS Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal- this source answers a common question, explaining why cancer treatments need to be developed specifically for children. "Over half of the pharmacological interventions we use for hospitalized children are off-label or unlicensed drugs. The challenge for clinical care is that health care providers may fail to use medications that are indeed effective, or conversely, continue to use ineffective medications, or even those that bring unintended harm. Child health care providers must often rely on evidence that has been generated on adult populations. However, both the safety and efficacy profiles of medications may be significantly different for children than adults due to differences in developmental physiology, disease pathophysiology, or developmental pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics."