Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

The International Society of Paediatric Oncology SIOP has declared September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Every year in September, the community of childhood cancer champions, advocates and supporters encourage iconic buildings, historic landmarks, monuments, etc. to light up in gold. Cankarjev dom is joining the Shine Gold initiative this year. On Thursday, 24 September, Cankarjev dom’s white marble façade will light up in gold.

Cancer in children is rare, but it is the third most common cause of death in children under the age of fifteen. In Slovenia, about fifty children develop cancer each year, with a steady increase in recent years, but with a decline in mortality. Today, we cure almost eighty percent of children with cancer.

September is a time to recognise the children and adolescents affected by cancer on global and European scale. During September, and throughout the year, we honour the children and young people battling cancer, the families who care for them, the healthcare professionals and their caregivers, the survivors, the children who lost their lives, and the scientists dedicated to beating childhood cancer. The year 2020 is particularly difficult as the world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, which requires a lot of attention and resources. Nevertheless, cancer did not go away. This year, SIOP Europe, CCI Europe and PanCare are joining forces to raise awareness about childhood cancer.

Founded in 1970, SIOP Europe has been drawing attention for many years to inequalities in access to care and expertise, and to the importance of innovation in the treatment of children. Children and young people should benefit from faster and more efficient development of affordable innovative medicines, and the survival rates should increase.

Backed by the extensive endorsement of the European paediatric haematology-oncology community, the SIOP Europe Strategic Plan 'A European Cancer Plan for Children and Adolescents' was developed to increase the cure rate and the quality of long term survival of children and young people with cancer by 2025. Among the key priorities are investing in life-saving research, accelerating the development of and access to innovative anti-cancer medicine, reducing inequalities, providing high-quality, accessible and cost-effective healthcare, and much more.

Did you know that*:
• Every 15 minutes in Europe, a family receives the devastating news that their child has cancer.
• Over 6000 children and young people are dying every year in Europe from childhood cancer. This equates to as many as 200 school buses.
• There are 35,000 new cases of childhood cancer in Europe each year.
• Almost 500,000 long-term survivors of childhood cancer live in Europe today.  This equates to the population of a large European city, such as Antwerp (Belgium), Lyon (France), or Lisbon (Portugal).
• Ten times less public funding is allocated to childhood cancer research in Europe than in the US.

*quoted from https://siope.eu/shinegold