With fanfare and a ceremony in the Oval Office CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation Children announced that President Bush signed the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act to benefit Children with Cancer and Their Families.

This piece of legislation was named in memory of Congresswoman Deborah Pryce’s daughter, Caroline Pryce Walker, who succumbed to neuroblastoma in 1999 at age nine. The bill passed the United States House of Representatives in mid June and in the Senate by unanimous consent a month later. It will dramatically increase federal investment into childhood cancer research.

This new law authorizes $30 million annually over five years to: provide funding for collaborative pediatric cancer clinical trials research, to create a population-based national childhood cancer database, and to further improve public awareness and communication regarding available treatment and research for children with cancer and their families.

Gregory Reaman, MD, Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group stated “The Conquer Childhood Cancer Act allows for translation of the very best research discoveries into clinical evaluation and practice, in order to improve the cure rates for all children with cancer. "On behalf of my colleagues in the Children’s Oncology Group and the children with cancer and their families who are our partners in clinical research, we thank President Bush and our nation’s leaders. Only research cures childhood cancer.”

CureSearch exclusively supports the life-saving research of the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s premier cancer research collaborative. Treating 90%of children with cancer, the Children’s Oncology Group includes more than 5,000 experts in childhood cancer research and treatment, located at more than 200 leading children’s and university hospitals across North America.

At the signing, Dr. Pryce stated that “for any child or family who is embroiled in the fight against pediatric cancer, today is a cause for celebration and renewed hope. At long last, we will be harnessing our nation’s vast resources and expertise to put an end to a scourge that takes the lives of more than 2,300 children every year.”

About The Advocating Group
CureSearch seeks to conquer childhood cancer, conquer it sooner, conquer it fully and for all time. Through public education, advocacy and fundraising, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, a non-profit 501 (c) (3), supports the work of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), the world’s premier pediatric cancer research collaborative. This network of more than 5,000 healthcare professionals dedicates their lives to finding answers and sharing results. More than 12,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, and more than 40,000 children and adolescents are currently in treatment. For more information, visit www.CureSearch.org.