CAC2 Childhood Cancer Community News Digest (December 1-7)

News Digest

CAC2 Childhood Cancer Community News Digest (December 1-7)

Assorted News from the Last Week:

American Association for Cancer Research released the AACR Pediatric Cancer Progress Report 2025. Among the trends highlighted:

Between 2015 and 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved more than 20 molecularly targeted therapies and more than 10 immunotherapies for pediatric cancers. Indeed, the proportion of drugs approved specifically for pediatric use rose from 5.9% between 2012-2016 to 13.8% between 2017-2021. While these numbers are significantly lower than what has been approved for adult cancers, the new treatments have been transformative for certain patients. YET,
Pediatric cancer is a persistent public health challenge with often devastating personal and familial consequences.

Glioblastoma clinical trial: Focused ultrasound blood-brain barrier opening is safe and provides possible survival benefit. Hopefully, it will be available for kids!

Many families of children with leukemia face significant financial hardship during treatment.

In Australia, Childhood Cancer Catalog unlocks pediatric immunotherapy.

‘Practice-changing’ findings may spare some young patients with leukemia from radiation.

Knowledge mobilization efforts by global pediatric oncology civil society organizations: An environmental scan protocol.

Upcoming Webinars, Online Opportunities, and Meetings:

CAC2 Webinar: From Closing the Gaps: Federal Legislation and State Leads for Childhood Cancer Advocacy Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 12PM EST. Click here for more information and to register.

Action Days 2026 will be held in Washington, D.C. from February 24-25, 2026. Registration is open! Action Days registration will close on Friday, January 30, or when we reach 225 participants. Click here for more information and to register.

Take Action:

Urgent! Two bills for children with cancer need your support! It is important to advocate about both Give Kids A Chance Act and AKACA together, known together as the Childhood Cancer Package.

Here is the link to the Childhood Cancer Package toolkit:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LxKOhDkPhQR6eUjdy6aRN7NWC8RDOVXw?usp=sharing

The link includes

Comprehensive one pager on each bills
Advocacy alert language with talking points
Instructions on how to collect and send hand-written letters to Congress
Guide on how to place an Op-Ed
Talking points for meetings with congressional staff
Phone script and instructions to organize a call alert
Unbranded social media images with template captions that can be customized with each organization’s logo