Cancers in Children and Adolescents

Cancers in children and adolescents are rare diseases: they account for about 0.6% of all cancers diagnosed in France, or approximately 2,300¹ new cases each year. On average, one in every 440 children will be diagnosed before the age of 15. 

While therapeutic advances in recent decades have led to a cure rate of 80%, the fight against these diseases remains a major challenge: each year, approximately 500 children and adolescents in France and nearly 6,000 in Europe die from cancer. Among children over one year of age, cancer is the leading cause of death from disease. And among young patients who have been cured, two out of three experience long-term effects.  

Faced with these realities, the teams at Gustave Roussy work tirelessly every day to improve patient care, from diagnosis through the post-cancer period. Their goal: to provide better treatment, achieve more cures, and offer long-term support to children and their families in all aspects of the disease, including after remission. 

Source: https://rnce.inserm.fr

Among children aged 0 to 14: 

• Leukemia accounts for 28.2% of cases   

• Brain tumors account for 26.3% of cases 

• Lymphomas account for 10.5% of cases  

Among adolescents aged 15 to 17:  

• Lymphomas account for 28.7% of cases, 77% of which are Hodgkin’s disease 

• Central nervous system tumors account for 16.8% of cases 

• Leukemias account for 14.6% of cases  

Source: https://pediatrie.cancer.fr/

Multidisciplinary Care  

At Gustave Roussy, patient care is multidisciplinary. Professionals from various fields provide care for children and adolescents: pediatric oncologists, psychologists, neuropsychologists, dietitians, psychomotor therapists, physical therapists, and more. 

On the medical side, doctors from various specialties are involved in the diagnosis and selection of the proposed treatment. These doctors meet regularly as part of multidisciplinary team meetings (RCP) and interregional pediatric multidisciplinary team meetings (RCPPI).  

Major Research Programs  

Alongside its patient care activities, Gustave Roussy conducts ambitious research programs that lead to tangible advances for patients. For example, the center is home to the only research team in France entirely dedicated to pediatric gliomas. By conducting in-depth studies of the unique biology of each tumor, researchers aim to identify new molecules and develop innovative treatments for young patients facing therapeutic dead ends. 

The goal? To continually push the boundaries of prognosis and work toward a 100% cure rate for all affected children and adolescents. 

To raise awareness, mobilize support, and develop initiatives to cure more children’s cancers more effectively, Gustave Roussy launched the “Golden September” movement in France in 2016, symbolized by a golden ribbon. 

This movement aims to raise funds to support the fight against pediatric cancers. Support from the general public and donors is crucial, as cutting-edge research requires considerable resources: funding for innovative programs, recruiting researchers, purchasing high-tech equipment, and launching clinical trials. These projects, often too innovative to be supported by traditional public funding, cannot get off the ground without philanthropy.  

The “Curing Childhood Cancer in the 21st Century” campaign is part of the “Golden September” initiative. Since 2017, thanks to donations raised, it has helped improve patient care through four major projects:

• Using the immune system as a therapeutic tool

• Gaining a better understanding of the genetic causes of cancer to fight it more effectively

• Understanding, detecting, and preventing long-term complications

• Developing therapeutic innovations for an incurable disease