
Service(s) concerned
Golden September
A month dedicated to pediatric cancers
In France, nearly 1,700 new cases of cancer in children under 15 and 800 in adolescents aged 15 to 18 are diagnosed each year. Nearly 50% of cases occur before the age of 5.
Childhood and adolescent cancers
Childhood cancers are not like adult cancers . They are much rarer (1% to 2% of all cancers) and often affect other organs than adult cancers. Leukemia, central nervous system tumors and lymphomas are the main cancer pathologies encountered in children under 15 years of age, unlike the main adult cancers which more frequently affect the lungs, breast or prostate.
The advances made in the field of care and new therapies over the last 4 decades have now made it possible to cure 8 out of 10 children. Despite significant progress, cancer remains the second cause of death among those under 15, after accidents. Research must continue to develop new treatments that can improve the prognosis of pediatric cancers and limit their after-effects , but also better determine their causes in order to be able to better prevent them. The ten-year strategy to combat cancer (2021-2030) that France has adopted includes numerous actions in favor of these objectives.
Supported
Offering comprehensive and varied care, the pediatric onco-hematology department at Caen Normandy University Hospital is a national reference and referral service in the fight against pediatric cancers.
In 2023, it welcomed around forty children from all over former Lower Normandy. In addition, he also participated in the care of 30 children from other departments and regions, as part of interregional care pathways.
With 15 beds (including 4 day hospital beds), the service carried out nearly 2,500 stays in 2023, 80% on an outpatient basis.
The care pathway for children and adolescents treated at the University Hospital is organized with the OncoNormandie pediatric network, in close collaboration with the pediatric services of other establishments in the region and pediatric rehabilitation centers. It involves significant coordination work between the different medical actors (pediatric surgeons, neurosurgeons, pediatric intensivists, radiologists, radiotherapists, rehabilitation doctors, geneticists, pharmacists, etc.) and paramedical actors (nurses, caregivers, psychologists, social workers, teachers, etc.). coordinating nurses, clinical research assistants, etc.), likely to intervene during the course or treatments.
The medical and paramedical team is integrated into the Grand Ouest Childhood Cancer interregional network, aiming to improve clinical research as well as the development of training. Thus, it actively participates in research and the use of innovative therapies and around thirty clinical trials are currently open in the unit. 75% of children treated in the department in 2023 have been included in clinical trial protocols or are participating in clinical research, facilitating this population's access to innovative therapies (targeted therapies). Paramedical research is also developed to improve the quality of patient care.
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Sensitization
Raising public awareness of the reality of childhood cancers is essential to advance research, improve treatments and offer optimal support to patients and their families. “Golden September” offers a unique opportunity to mobilize and make a real difference in the lives of these brave children. Every donation counts and contributes to supporting research, medical care and projects such as the Maison des familles.
Join us and make a donation now to support Septembre en or and the CHU Caen Normandie Foundation in their commitment to children with pediatric cancers. Your donations are essential to advance research, improve treatments and provide optimal support to patients and their families. Together, we can give these children the support and hope they need to face this ordeal.
Published on September 1, 2024
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