Every year, more than 17,000 children in the United States and 400,000 worldwide are diagnosed with cancer. While research has brought the overall survival rate above 80%, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children. Treatments for many pediatric cancers are decades old, and even when a child does survive, they are often forced to deal with debilitating side effects long after they are cancer-free.
At CURE, our mission is to conquer childhood cancer by funding targeted research that will save lives and give survivors their best quality of life. Our research priorities are two-fold. First, we prioritize research that will lead to more effective treatments for children within two to three years. We also prioritize research aimed at solving recurrent and hard-to-treat cancers for which no effective treatment exists.
Over the past twelve years, we have invested $45 million in innovative research, resulting in important discoveries and treatment options. We are a leader in advancing precision medicine for children, investing $14 million in precision medicine initiatives since 2017. Additionally, CURE invests more than $5.6 million annually in specific research efforts at top pediatric institutions nationwide.