Cancer is my ENEMY.

The Snap Shot article from National Cancer Institute stated that "Between infancy and 15 years of age, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children. Approximately 9,500 new cases of pediatric cancer are expected to occur in this age group in 2006." However, due to increased pediatric research funding and improved treatments, "mortality in the [invasive] cancer group has declined dramatically for many childhood cancers." Increased survival rate is extremely comforting to know but the statistics for patients with later stage cancer or rare form of cancers are still disappointing. That was the case for Jennifer's favorite cousin, Derek. According to American Cancer Society, "Rhabdomyosarcoma accounts for about 3% of childhood cancers....About 60% of these cases are diagnosed in children under the age of 10." It is not surprising that research done on this particular type of cancer is much less than those cancers with higher incidence rate. When the available medicine did not work on Derek, he received new experimental drugs that were developed to treat more common types of cancers