New Children's Cancer Research Center

Three Texas Medical Center institutions have joined in a historic association to research childhood cancer epidemiology and prevention - why children get cancer and what can be done to prevent it.

Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are launching the new Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Center. The center will be a research facility, rather than a treatment facility. It will be housed in the Texas Children's Cancer Center, a joint effort of Baylor and Texas Children's Hospital.

Dr. Melissa L. Bondy is the new director of the center. She is an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor, as well as associate professor of epidemiology, the science of determining who gets cancer and why.

"Although significant strides in cancer prevention, treatment and survival have been made over the past two decades, more research is needed in the area of childhood cancer," Dr. Bondy says. "We want to improve our understanding of the causes of childhood cancer, identify the best strategies for prevention and share this information with health care professionals nationally and internationally."

Despite standard cancer screening and early detection recommendations for several types of adult cancer, no such programs exist for children.

"The cure rates for childhood cancer continue to rise, but children in our state, our nation and throughout the world still develop this disease," says Dr. David G. Poplack, director of Texas Children's Cancer Center.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death in children in the United States, says Dr. Margaret R. Spitz, chairman of M. D. Anderson's epidemiology department. Incidence rates of childhood cancer continue to increase at the rate of about 1 percent per year, and researchers are eager to discover why.

Additionally, those who survive childhood cancer and grow into adulthood may endure long-term learning disabilities and other health consequences of their disease or treatment, Dr. Spitz says.

The combined expertise from three cooperating institutions will build on the strengths of each - epidemiology, pediatric oncology, cancer prevention and genetics - to create the finest pediatric cancer epidemiology center in the nation, she says.

"We join together as institutions with the common goal of curing cancer, and by pooling our resources and talents, we better arm ourselves for this challenge," Dr. Poplack says.

"I'm delighted to see this important example of inter-institutional collaboration and cooperation," says Dr. Richard E. Wainerdi, president of the Texas Medical Center. "These three great institutions are working together to bring so much to the community and the nation. We anticipate outstanding results from this new center."

Researchers at the Childhood Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Center will develop and implement educational programs for use by health care professionals throughout the world. This professional training component of the center will educate health care professionals about the causes and prevention of childhood cancer.

American Cancer Society figures predicted that in 2000, about 12,400 children were expected to be diagnosed with cancer and 2,300 were expected to die. Due to improved treatment, death rates decreased from 1975 to 1996, but incidence rates increased from the early 1970s until 1991. Texas Department of Health figures indicate that from 1990 to 1995, about 800 children were diagnosed with cancer and about 120 died annually in Texas.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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