The growing prevalence of cancer is not limited to adults; it is also afflicting children. An estimated 15,780 children between birth and 19 years of age are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S.
, according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization. Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S.
will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. Globally, there are more than 300,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year, and the rate of childhood cancer is slowly rising; cancer cases increased to 177 per million in 2019 from 165 per million in 2003. Recently, Theriva Biologics TOVX , the clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers, was granted Rare Pediatric Drug Designation (RPDD) by the U.
S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for VCN-01 for the treatment of retinoblastoma; the most common type of eye cancer in children. Retinoblastoma Presents Significant Treatment Challenges Retinoblastoma is a tumor that originates in the retina and accounts for approximately 2% of all childhood cancers.
Some 200 to 300 children are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and the cancer is most common among infants and young children.
The average age of a child when diagnosed is two years of age. Approximately three out of four children with retinoblastoma have a tumor in only one eye (known as unilateral retinoblastoma). When both eyes are affected it is known as bilateral retinoblastoma.
Although the chances of developing retinobl.