SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — State Senator Anthony Bucco was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at eight years old. He hopes that, with the introduction of a bill now making its way through Trenton, he can help prevent kids from living through what he did.
The bill allots $10 million in funding for new cancer research, and half of that is specifically for child cancer studies.
“Many of the treatments that would be given to an adult can’t be given to a child,” Bucco said.
According to MedlinePlus, an online information service by the United States National Library of Medicine, childhood cancers are not the same as adult cancers. They say, in many cases, cancer cells in children respond better to treatments compared to adults and that children have better tolerance to higher doses of chemotherapy in shorter periods before side effects occur.
They noted that children’s chance of recovery is high.
Bucco said the motive behind this bill is to provide the best treatments available to children with pediatric cancer.
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“We owe it to their families, and we owe it to them,” he said.
According to a study conducted by the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children ages one to 14.
They estimate that more than 9,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2023.
The study also shows that, because of major cancer treatment advances in recent decades, 85% of children with cancer now survive five or more years.
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Bucco says they are in a unique position in New Jersey to provide resources and conduct cancer research.
“We have tremendous research facilities,” he said.
He feels this bill is an investment in hope.
“I’m an example that you can live a long life and beat this and we just need to keep fighting.”