Navigating Childhood Cancer
- Words of love and support are pouring in for celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson and his family after he announced his 4-year-old daughter’s AML leukemia diagnosis.
- AML stands for acute myeloid leukemia, which is a type of cancer that starts in the “blood-forming cells of the bone marrow,” according to the American Cancer Society.
- Though AML symptoms can vary from child to child, the most common symptoms, according to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, include: anemia, bleeding/bruising, bone and joint pain, abdominal pain, and recurrent infections. If your child is showing concerning symptoms such as bruising for no reason, seek immediate care.
“This is going to be longer, and cathartically different from my usual fare. Forewarned is forewarned. Life changing turn,” the fitness expert began his post on Instagram.
Read More“She has AML leukemia,” he shared, still in disbelief that his daughter is a “Make-A-Wish candidate.”
“How the f*#! did we get here?!?!”
AML stands for acute myeloid leukemia, which is a type of cancer that starts in the “blood-forming cells of the bone marrow,” according to the American Cancer Society.
“More to come as we navigate the nightmare,” Peterson continued. “Our Warrior Princess will crush this! She has even said it herself! Please hold our daughter, and our family-immediate and extended-in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers. As we are all aware; ‘you never know what someone is going through.’ Already too many thank yous owed so I will spread them out as this unfolds.”
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In the comments section, stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the Kardashian clan offered their support and optimism for the little girl’s journey.
“We’re always here brother. Always,” Johnson wrote. “She will crush this, as she herself has declared. ❤️❤️❤️.”
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Also acknowledging Peterson’s challenging news, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner shared, “My family and I are praying for your baby G we love you all so very much and lifting her up in the name of Jesus…. 🙏🏼💔🙏🏼❤️💔.”
Kim Kardashian added, “We are all praying for you 🤍 we love you.”
“G! Oh my heart!! I am so so so sorry for you and your family!!” Khloe Kardashian expressed. “If there’s something I can say for certain, she’s a warrior just like her mommy and daddy!! G I’m here if you need anything! I love you and your family and im praying for you all!”
The F45 Chief of Athletics, who relocated to Nashville from Beverly Hills after the pandemic, is married to nutritionist Jess Peterson, Monroe’s mom. They also share a little boy.
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Additionally, Peterson has three older children with his ex-wife Janet Crown, daughter of billionaire Lester Crown.
Understanding AML in Children
Though AML symptoms can vary from child to child, the most common symptoms, according to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, include:
- Anemia, which causes your child to become pale and/or breathe faster as their cells struggle to carry oxygen
- Bleeding/bruising
- Bone and joint pain
- Abdominal pain
- Recurrent infections
If your child is showing concerning symptoms, it’s important to act fast to get them care.
Navigating Childhood Cancer
According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 4 percent of the billions of dollars spent each year on cancer research and treatments are directed towards treating childhood cancer in the United States. Since 1980, fewer than 10 drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer while hundreds of drugs have been created exclusively for adults.
Clinical trials are a critical tool when it comes to advancing drugs, as research obtained in these trials is required to get federal approval for any new treatment that hits the market. These trials play a huge role in advancing cancer care, as well as treatments for any other illness. But there is a huge lag in drug approvals when it comes to advancing therapies for children. In fact, the average time between regulatory approval and the labeling of new therapies for adults and children is nearly 10 years.
The Impact of Childhood Cancer on the Whole Family
SurvivorNet previously spoke with Dr. Cindy Jackson, a pediatrician and chief operating officer at the Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials in Children (I-ACT for Children), about why approvals for pediatric drugs take so much longer and what can be done to close that gap so that children can get the care they need.
Unfortunately, according to Dr. Jackson, there is not a whole lot of incentive for pharmaceutical companies to study drugs for children. Children make up a very small number of people with chronic illnesses or conditions that require serious therapies. For example, when it comes to cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates that around 9,620 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. That’s compared to over two million new cancer cases in total.
“Clinical development is done by for-profit companies,” Dr. Jackson explained. “Those for-profit companies sell drugs to help patients, but they also need to make a profit. The market in pediatrics is very, very small. Only 25% of the population is less than 18, and even fewer of those under 18 years old have chronic conditions that will require long-term therapy—there’s no market advantage really.”
Because of this small number, the companies that make and study drugs may not see financial opportunity in putting resources into pediatric clinical trials and that’s a real issue. Legislation passed in the U.S. the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) and Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) aimed to incentivize drug makers to study treatments for children, and required these studies in certain situations, but there is still a lag.
“Were it not for those rules and regulations, these trials wouldn’t be done,” said Dr. Jackson. “There’s very little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to do those trials, but the laws are very helpful.”
Why are Clinical Trials So Important?
To understand why it’s important that companies conduct clinical trials in children and adolescents, it’s important to understand why these trials are so important in the first place.
A clinical trial is essentially a study that tests out new and innovative drugs on patients with certain illnesses. These patients are monitored closely by a team of doctors and the information that is obtained from these trials is critical to the advancement of new therapies.
“Clinical trials hopefully can benefit you, but is also providing very, very vital information to the whole scientific community about the effectiveness of these treatments,” oncologist Dr. Beth Karlan from UCLA Medical Center told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation.
Understanding the Key Differences Between Acute and Chronic Myeloid Leukemias AML vs. CML
“They can be lifesaving,” Dr. Karlan added. “We’ve seen many in the last few years of children and adults who have participated in trials and have had miraculous results.”
Dr. Jackson adds, “Clinical trials in children are necessary due to the physiological and developmental differences between the various age groups of in children vs. adults.”
SurvivorNet has a tool to help patients look for clinical trials and find the right option.
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