Future Directions

Abstract

Our ability to cure children with cancer has improved dramatically over the past six decades. In the 1950s, when E. Donnall Thomas began his extraordinary pioneering work in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), few children with cancer survived. Today, more than 80 % of children with cancer are cured of their disease. This profound success, one of the greatest stories in the history of medicine, is the result of numerous factors, including the development of the pediatric cooperative group mechanism; the development of a culture that integrates clinical research with clinical care; an emphasis on biology-based discovery with rapid translation of positive observations to the clinic resulting in new standards of care, dedicated investigators, and institutions ;and finally, the courage of parents and children to participate as research participants.