Participate in a Study

Because cancer is rare in children, the medical community has cooperated for many years to investigate new treatments and treatment variations in an effort to identify the most effective and safest possible options. The success in treating pediatric illness is the best example of success through collaboration. In 1960, about 10 to 20 percent of children with cancer survived. Now nearly 85 percent do. Through cooperative efforts such as the Children’s Oncology Group, doctors continue to make significant progress in treatment. Clinical trials are the backbone of this success.

In clinical trials, researchers prescribe promising treatment regimens, monitor the patients’ responses carefully, and compare this treatment to standard treatment. More than half of all children with cancer in the United States receive treatment through clinical trials.

 
For an overview of what happens in clinical trials, read our Patient Guide to Clinical Trials, especially the section on Children & Clinical Trials.

To find clinical trials for which your child may be eligible, ask your child’s health-care team.