Looking dapper in their shiny gold hats, our Clinical Trials Team are raising awareness about childhood cancer this month and sharing insights about their vital work. The ten staff oversee clinical trials that explore new ways to understand and treat cancer, ensuring children receive the most advanced, world-class medical care.

Clinical Research Manager, Anthea Ng, leads the team and says, "Our aim for the future is to ensure we have a clinical trial open for every type of childhood cancer at the Cancer Centre for Children."

Because clinical trials are crucial in improving cancer treatment, many patients enrol in their closely monitored and regulated programs.

Each year the Cancer Centre for Children sees between:

• 170-220 new referrals
• 130-160 newly diagnosed patients
• 60 relapses and recurrences

The Clinical Trials Team aims to enrol around 80 of these patients in an open clinical trial.

The extraordinary success of the Clinical Trials team, especially in recent years when the number of enroled patients doubled, is illustrated by the above graph.

Clinical trials have been instrumental in improving the survival rate, and quality of life, of children with cancer and the support and fundraising generated by raising awareness helps Anthea and her team continue to find the best treatments. Going gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in fun hats helps the team raise support for essential research dedicated to making childhood cancer a disease of the past.

For more information or to enquire, please email: SCHN-CHW-OncologyClinicalTrials@health.nsw.gov.au