Having an ill child in the family is indeed a big shock for everyone involved . Have you ever wondered what are the steps follow a cancer diagnosis? This is a typical example of the stages that follow a child’s diagnosis of cancer. The stages may vary with the criteria established by the oncologist.

A child diagnosed with cancer in 2018 will receive care the very same day and, in many cases, will be immediately hospitalized.

Dedicated teams could receive the child at the Centre de cancérologie Charles-Bruneau at the Sainte-Justine CHU or at another Charles-Bruneau unit in the province, depending on the place of residence. When the more aggressive portion of the treatment ends, the child can return home but will likely continue to receive weekly chemotherapy treatments on an outpatient basis. For a case of leukemia, the total treatment time will be two years. After that, if all traces of cancerous cells have been eradicated, full remission will be declared.

In the event of relapse, and depending on the type of cancer, the child could receive a bone marrow or cord blood transplant, followed by hospitalization for a minimum of six weeks to give the immune system a chance to rebuild. At all times, the young patient will receive cutting-edge care from highly qualified medical teams.

It’s clear: a child who is diagnosed in 2018 has an advantage over the children of previous generations. Thanks to research, a child now has an 80% chance of being cured. And yet even a cure comes with the risk of aftereffects or complications resulting from treatment. This will be the case for two-thirds of children in remission.

This is why investment in research is crucial – not only to cure all children, but to cure them better.

And, most of all, this is why skiers, walkers and runners make a real difference when they help us to fund research.

We will change the world, but we need you to achieve it!

The Fondation Charles-Bruneau team