Thursday, October 7, 2010

BETHESDA, MD – October 7, 2010 - CureSearch for Children's Cancer is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with The Hepatoblastoma Foundation and is grateful for their ongoing support in helping raise funds for and awareness of hepatoblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer in young children.

CureSearch for Children's Cancer funds the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest cooperative pediatric cancer research organization that treats 90% of children in the U.S., at more than 200 hospitals in North America.

"Over the last 40 years, major breakthroughs in children's cancer have come from the Children's Oncology Group," said John L. Lehr, President and CEO CureSearch for Children's Cancer. "CureSearch is honored to be collaborating with The Hepatoblastoma Foundation to fund research efforts for hepatoblastoma. Only research will cure rare children's cancer, like hepatoblastoma."

Hepatoblastoma is a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer originating in the liver. There is a "one in a million" chance for a child to be diagnosed with this particular cancer. While tremendous progress has been made, the survival rate for stage IV hepatoblastoma is currently only 25%.

"Our family was personally impacted when Ryan, at the age of 9 months, was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer (Stage IV hepatoblastoma). We were fortunate to receive treatment and continue to be followed at a Children's Oncology Group affiliated hospital." said Stacey Licht, one of the Founding Members of The Hepatoblastoma Foundation. "Though we are one of the lucky families whose child survived, it is clear that partnering with CureSearch and the Children's Oncology Group is helping to bring us closer to a cure rate for all children fighting for their lives against hepatoblastoma."

The Children's Oncology Group Rare Tumor Committee is committed to improving the outcome of children with liver cancer through clinical, translational, and basic science research. Several initiatives are currently being undertaken, including an in-depth analysis of all the clinical, biological, radiological, pathological and outcome data of children with liver tumors treated on the cooperative group protocols over the last 2 decades. Funds raised by The Hepatoblastoma Foundation have been instrumental in moving this critical project forward.

"The liver tumor committee of the Children's Oncology Group is very thankful to the Hepatoblastoma Foundation for their strong commitment to support our clinical and translational research," said Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, Chair of the Children's Oncology Group Rare Tumor Committee. "Working together, we can accelerate research in pediatric rare malignancies and improve the outcomes of children with liver cancer."

Additionally, members of the Committee led by Dr. Gail Tomlinson, from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, were recently awarded a grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas that will provide $2.5 million funding for performing a comprehensive genomic analysis of a large number of hepatoblastomas. All in all, these initiatives will provide additional insights into early treatment decisions, identify molecular targets that can be used in the development of new therapies, and inform the development of risk-adapted treatments. We are dedicated to making progress in saving the lives of children fighting hepatoblastoma.

ABOUT CURESEARCH FOR CHILDREN'S CANCER

CureSearch for Children's Cancer (www.curesearch.org) funds and supports the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children's Oncology Group, the world's largest cooperative pediatric cancer research organization, which treats 90% of children with cancer in the United States. By supporting the Children's Oncology Group at more than 230 hospitals in North America and around the world, CureSearch enables children with cancer to receive world-class expertise at a hospital close to home.

ABOUT THE HEPATOBLASTOMA FOUNDATION

The Hepatoblastoma Foundation http://hepatoblastomafoundation.org/ was founded by a group of people whose lives have been personally impacted by this aggressive childhood cancer. We are committed to funding research to find a cure for hepatoblastoma through our partnership with CureSearch.

Our group is devoted to empowering those affected by hepatoblastoma through education and support and dedicated to raising awareness of this rare and devastating disease.

The Hepatoblastoma Foundation invites you to join our team "Hepatoblastoma Heroes" on the CureSearch Walk America virtual walk. Help us raise funds so critical research can be done to find cures for Hepatoblastoma and all children's cancer. Only research will cure cancer and these children need your help! Join our team at www.curesearchwalk.org