to impact survivors into adulthood, and families of young people with cancer frequently endure emotional and financial hardship. An important development in the fight against pediatric cancer is the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access and Research (STAR) Act. Enacted in 2018, the Childhood Cancer STAR Act aims to improve health outcomes of young patients with cancer and advance pediatric cancer research by: • Awarding grants to state cancer registries to improve surveillance for pediatric cancer. • Supporting efforts to expand collection of biospecimens and clinical information on pediatric cancer patients to support research on childhood cancer and survivorship. • Creating programs to explore innovative care models for childhood cancer survivors. In January 2023, President Biden signed into law the Childhood STAR Reauthorization Act (793), allowing programs from the STAR Act to continue through FY 2028 at its fully authorized level of $30 million, as discussed by Congressman Michael T. McCaul, p. 164. The reauthorization also supports funding of the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) at $50 million, which helps children’s hospitals, clinics, and other facilities share clinical and research data. Created in 2019, the CCDI works to improve understanding of pediatric cancer biology, prevention, treatment, and survivorship through enhanced data sharing. However, the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act only provides legal authority for programs created by the law to continue. As a next step, pediatric cancer advocates must ensure that Congress fully funds the Childhood Cancer STAR Act and the CCDI during the FY 2024 appropriations process. Another program crucial to advancing progress against childhood cancer is the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First). Established in 2015, Kids First aims to help researchers make new discoveries into the biology of pediatric cancer as well as the relationship between structural birth defects and certain types of childhood cancer. Between 2015 and 2022, Kids First selected 63 pediatric cancer and structural birth defects cohorts for whole genome sequencing that entails more than 20,000 patients and 55,000 genomes (794). How Flavored Tobacco Products Contribute to Disparities The tobacco industry has used flavored products and predatory marketing practices, such as providing free samples of menthol cigarettes, to attract racial and ethnic minority communities to nicotine for decades. These aggressive campaigns were intentional business strategies to preserve market share as overall smoking rates dropped across the United States. FIGURE 24 Masks Harsh Taste Cooling E ect of Menthol Hides Smoke Irritation Menthol Increases Nicotine Receptors Predatory Marketing Youth More Likely to Try Tobacco Smoke Causes 17 Types of Cancer Beyond Lung COOL Menthols AACR Cancer Progress Report 2023 162 Advancing the Future of Cancer Research and Patient Care Through the Adoption of Evidence-Based Policies
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTkzMzk=