Washington, DC – The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution backed by U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to officially recognize September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children past infancy; in 2023, an estimated 9,910 children under the age of 14 will be diagnosed with cancer and about 1,040 will die of the disease in the United States.

“Ending childhood cancer requires strategic collaboration between the federal government and private sector.  Together, we’re making real progress.  Raising awareness is an important step and we must continue funding promising and innovative research and supporting kids and families battling cancer,” said Senator Reed, who wrote the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act (Public Law No: 117-350). 

“Our children are the nation’s most important asset and their health is essential to West Virginia’s future. Every September, we honor the young lives that were taken too soon, recognize the progress we have made in treatment and recovery, and recommit ourselves to fighting this disease so all children have a chance at a full and healthy life. I am proud to help raise awareness around childhood cancer and the lives it affects every day,” said Senator Manchin.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues once again in recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Since my Childhood Cancer STAR Act became law and was recently reauthorized this year, we have seen better outcomes for children facing this terrible disease and advanced our research capabilities. We must continue to direct resources to efforts that better our understanding of childhood cancer, track the incidences of disease, improve the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors, and work towards a world without cancer,” Senator Capito said. 

Senator Reed’s bipartisan Childhood Cancer STAR Act first passed in 2018 and has been called “the most comprehensive childhood cancer legislation ever introduced into Congress.”  The bill was reauthorized for an additional 5 years in 2023 to boost pediatric cancer research, expand child-focused cancer treatments, and bolster resources for families affected by childhood cancer.

Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, led successful efforts to set aside $80 million for childhood cancer programs in the fiscal year 2023 omnibus appropriations law, with $30 million through the Childhood Cancer STAR Act and another $50 million to fully fund the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI), under the National Cancer Institute.  CCDI seeks to gather data from every child, adolescent, and young adult diagnosed with a childhood cancer, regardless of where they receive their care, and use it to improve research, treatment, and care for patients.

To view the resolution, click here.