Major Childhood Cancer Initiative Formed - Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium to Focus on Reducing the Dramatic Rise in the Number of Children Diagnosed with Cancer

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A major concerted effort that brings together childhood cancer and childhood health organizations, guided by PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Organization and top scientific experts in the field of childhood cancer, has recently launched. This initiative will focus specifically on the issue of childhood cancer prevention through developing a comprehensive and actionable childhood cancer prevention strategy with identifiable and impactful timelines.

The Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium builds from the foundation established by the first two historic Childhood Cancer Prevention Symposiums held in 2023 and 2025. The Consortium is comprised of foundations and organizations, that for the first time, are financially combining their efforts to reduce the steep rise in the incidence rates of childhood cancer in the United States, and around the world. Since 1975, the incidence rate of childhood cancer has increased by over 40%. Scientific experts, clinicians, and researchers believe that this increase in the number of children diagnosed with cancer is related to issues that we can take some control over thus reducing the number of children who will be diagnosed with cancer. 

"The Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium is created and designed to identify actionable strategies to prevent children from being diagnosed, while also focusing upon preventing the horrifying toll that current treatments take on children who survive their diagnosis," said Jonathan Eric Agin, JD, Executive Director of PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Organization. Agin further stated, "The Consortium brings together organizations in order to aggregate resources, including obviously money, to fund the research and projects that align with and specifically match the prevention strategy we have tasked the Scientific Advisory Council to outline." 

Lisa Pagan, Founder and Executive Director of KoaStrong Childhood Cancer Prevention Organization shared her thoughts on why they joined the Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium. "For us, finding leukemia sooner could have meant a different story. That's why KoaStrong is here – to make early detection and prevention the priority every child deserves."

Omar Shakeel, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, and member of the Scientific Advisory Council stated, "[t]he Consortium has the potential to set new standards for prevention, research, and patient advocacy." Logan Spector, PhD, Professor, Division Director, Director of Pediatric Epidemiology & Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics, Brain Tumor Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, member of the Scientific Advisory Council said, "I find it incredibly rewarding to be a part of the group that will move the science and public health practice of childhood cancer prevention forward." Spector further commented, "we are now reaching a point where prevention may in fact be possible." 

Another member of the Scientific Advisory Council, who of late has gained recognition for his groundbreaking work, Elias Sayour, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery, and Pediatrics, as well as Principal Investigator of the RNA Engineering Laboratory within the Preston A. Wells, Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy and UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, who is involved with developing novel therapeutic and preventative vaccines, noted, "[i]t means a great deal to be part of an initiative interested in fulfilling such a visionary concept…"

Patti Gustafson, Executive Director of the Swifty Foundation was clear about the reasons Swifty became a Partner in the Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium. "The Swifty Foundation joined the Consortium because it offered hope." Gustafson further stated, "[h]ope to get in front of this monster that stole my son's childhood and ultimately his life. We've worked towards cures for the 12 years he's been gone and are no closer. And all the while children are still suffering through brain surgery, debilitating chemo and radiation that stunts their growth, messes with their fertility, makes them nauseous and so much more. Prevention is the key to children not enduring the losses, the pain and often death. We need to get in front of this childhood stealing monster and stop chasing its tail."

Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, MPH, Executive Director of the Children's Environmental Health Network shared her reasons for joining the Consortium. "The Consortium has the strong potential to steer childhood cancer prevention, investments, attention, and energy much further upstream than ever before." Executive Director of A Moment of Magic, Kylee McGrane-Zarnoch put it bluntly, "[t]he rising rates of childhood cancer are a public health crisis, and we cannot afford to treat prevention as optional or narrow."

The Childhood Cancer Prevention Consortium continues to grow, with interest from numerous organizations. Currently, Consortium Partners include, PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Organization, Swifty Foundation, Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, KOA Strong Foundation, Joey's Wings Foundation, Children's Environmental Health Network, A Moment of Magic, and the American Childhood Cancer Organization. 

For additional information, including how your organization or you can help support this ambitious initiative, please contact Jonathan Eric Agin, JD, Executive Director, PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Organization at [email protected]. 

Contact Information:
PREP4Gold
Jonathan Eric Agin, JD, Executive Director
703-371-0218
[email protected]

SOURCE PREP4Gold Childhood Cancer Organization