‘I am and I will’ is the theme of World Cancer Day on Tuesday 4 February 2020 which aims to encourage people to take action towards achieving a cancer-free world. This year marks the midpoint of a three-year campaign designed to give the “I am and I will’ rallying cry traction and promote awareness, fundraising, and research.

Increased awareness and fundraising supports research to improve opportunities for children with cancer. Dr Luciano Dalla-Pozza leads the Cancer Centre for Children’s research team who focus on leukaemia, sarcoma, bone marrow transplantation and neuro-oncology and are involved with large international clinical trials, other cancer units, and networks to achieve constant improvement.

“Clinical trials are absolutely key to making further progress in childhood cancer and leukaemia,” said Dr Geoff McCowage, a Senior Paediatric Oncologist in the research team at the Cancer Centre for Children.

More than half of the young patients at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead are enrolled in a clinical trial, which for many is the only way they can access drugs in Australia that have been shown to work. The 60 clinical trials, currently running, include treatments for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, brain cancer, sarcomas, Wilm’s tumour, leukaemia, recurrent relapsed low-grade gliomas, germ cell cancer, eye cancer, cancer of the central nervous system, and quality of life in cancer patients.

World Cancer Day supports opportunities such as costly, but necessary, clinical trials, specialised equipment, and improved treatments for children with cancer. It aims for global change, which all begins with one person saying, ‘I am and I will’.

Find out how you can take part in World Cancer Day.

See our research at the Cancer Centre for Children.

Do something amazing. Make a difference and donate to the Cancer Centre for Children.