Research update - December 2021

It certainly doesn’t feel like a wind down to the end of the year for the Research Team at Solving Kids’ Cancer, who have been busier than ever heading into Winter. At the beginning of November, we hosted the second virtual Neuroblastoma Parent Global Symposium with Solving Kids’ Cancer US and the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation. We welcomed over 500 participants from 45 countries including parents, survivors, researchers, clinicians and healthcare professionals to come together, learn and share their experiences. 

With talks on diagnosis, treatments, relapse, survivorship and much more, the two-day event proved to be a special experience for all, including the team here at SKC. We were once again blown away by the commitment of our research community to deliver such informative talks, and by the engagement and rich discussion brought by parents from across the globe. All of the sessions, including the Q&A sections, are now available to watch anytime on-demand on the NPGS YouTube channel. 

As many of you will know, SKC strives to be as collaborative as possible in our work to help children and families affected by neuroblastoma. In line with this, in October we joined both the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2) and Childhood Cancer International Europe (CCI-E). 

CAC2 is a collective of organisations who fight against the devastation caused by a range of childhood cancers. The mission of the coalition is to effectively advance a variety of childhood cancer causes by unifying the childhood cancer community across North America and Europe.

CCI is the largest patient support organisation for childhood cancer- comprising of mostly parent-led organisations as well as cancer support groups and survivor associations. By joining its European arm, we can drive our mission further by speaking in one collective voice, with a stronger reach and impact.

The latest achievement for our Research Team is the publication of the first ever advocate-only authored paper on childhood cancer to be accepted into the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology. Nick Bird leads authorship of the paper, with 6 other advocate authors including Head of Research Leona Knox and Director of Research Advocacy at Solving Kids' Cancer US Donna Ludwinski. The Journal of Clinical Oncology is one of the most globally recognised publications in the cancer research field, and it is a true landmark to have this paper accepted amongst the highest quality research. It is hoped that this paper will bring an even greater focus on some of the barriers to progress in developing new drugs for children with cancer.