Facts about Children’s Cancer and Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation (HCCF)
- Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children in the U.S. It kills more children between the ages of 1 and 14 than any other disease.
- Approximately 12,500 children in the U.S., ages 0-20, will be diagnosed with cancer this year alone. The median age at diagnosis is 6 years old.
On average, Hawaii has 50-60 new cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each year. The survival rate for all childhood cancers is about 78%. Unfortunately, this means that over 20% of the children still do not survive. - Length of treatment for childhood cancer averages from 12 months to 3 years. As many as 200 children may be in treatment at any given time in Hawaii.
- With more aggressive treatments, childhood cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over the past 20 years. However, the incidence of childhood cancer continues to increase.
- Even if a child does survive, he or she may suffer long-term effects as a result of treatment, and/or be more susceptible to other types of cancer.
About HCCF:
- All of HCCF’s donated funds stay in Hawaii
- 95 cents of every dollar goes to direct services and programs for families
- Last year, HCCF’sFamily Financial Assistance Program provided about $270,000 in assistance to Hawaii families with children with cancer
- Other programs include Kokua Baskets, educational workshops, and advocacy
- All services are provided free of charge to families
Download a fact sheet.
