By State Rep. Todd Hunter
AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Insider Report) — September is named as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This awareness month was initiated to educate communities on the importance of early detection and intervention in the fight against childhood cancers.According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer death rates for children have declined, but still remains the leading cause of death among children. The most common types of cancer among children between 0 and 14 years old are leukemias, brain and central nervous system tumors, and lymphomas.
It is estimated that in 2020, approximately 11,050 children will be newly diagnosed with cancer under the age of 15, while 1,190 children will die. Although survival rates have improved through recent decades, survival rates vary based on the type of cancer and other factors.
According to the American Cancer Society, unlike cancers in adults, lifestyle factors usually take many years to influence cancer risk, and they are not thought to play much of a role in childhood cancers. However, the causes of most childhood cancers are not fully known because the rarity of cancer in children and the difficulty to identify the contributing factors for cancer in children.
To ensure that children with cancer in Texas have access to state-of-the-art care, and understanding it is critically important to provide the resources, members of the Texas House and Senate allocated additional resources
towards cancer research and prevention programs.For example, the Texas Legislature created the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in 2007, to grow and accelerate the potential for breakthroughs in cancer preventions and cancer cures in Texas. For more information about CPRIT, visit https://www.cprit.state.tx.us/.
During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I hope you'll join me in supporting research and sharing information to spread awareness about childhood cancer.
To learn more about Childhood Cancer and the significance of this awareness month, please visit:
- The National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute
- And additional information is available by visiting the American Cancer Society's Cancer in Children page
Services.If you'd like to review more about the Texas State Legislature, visit the Texas Legislature Online.
State Representative Todd Hunter serves the constituents of Texas House District 32, which is composed of Aransas, Calhoun, San Patricio and part of Nueces County.
