Over the past 40 years, cooperative research efforts (primarily through the Children’s Oncology Group) have improved outcomes for several different types of pediatric cancers, emphasizing the fact that research and participation in clinical trials can make a difference in treating this most common cause of death from disease in childhood.
Nevertheless, much work remains to be done, especially for certain types of cancers which have spread at the time of diagnosis or have come back after completing standard therapy. Ongoing research in the laboratory and in the clinic is still needed to find more effective and less toxic therapies for many types of childhood malignancies.
