Thank you, Chair. Thank you for your patience. I also really appreciate the support from House of Commons IT staff.
Good morning. Thank you, Chair and committee members, for having me here today. My name is Kelly Masotti. I'm vice-president of advocacy. Here with me today is Helena Sonea, director of advocacy.
Before I begin my remarks, first I'd like to acknowledge that we are both speaking to you today from the traditional unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin people.
I'm pleased, on behalf of the Canadian Cancer Society, to participate in today's committee discussion regarding children's health. Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children under the age of 15 years. This is why the Canadian Cancer Society has invested $16.4 million in childhood cancer research projects across the country in the past five years alone.
In trusted partnership with donors and volunteers, we work relentlessly to improve the lives of those affected by cancer, through world-class research, transformative advocacy and compassionate support. We also work to provide real-time support to people with cancer and caregivers. Last year alone, we provided trusted information to over 125,000 users of cancer.ca looking for information specific to childhood cancer.
It's auspicious that we're gathered here today to discuss this topic, given that September is both nationally and internationally recognized as childhood cancer awareness month. We know that an estimated 1,100 children under the age of 14 were expected to have faced a cancer diagnosis in 2021. However, it's suspected that diagnosis for many cancers has fallen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
We have had success diagnosing and treating cancer impacting children over the past number of decades thanks to world-class research and innovative treatments. The five-year survival rate for childhood cancer is about 84%. This means that about 84% of children with cancer survive at least five years past their diagnosis.
Although childhood cancers account for less than 1% of all cancer cases diagnosed in Canada, they have a significant and lasting impact on both the individuals and their caregivers. An estimated two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors have at least one chronic or late side effect from their cancer therapy, including a high risk of physical and mental health problems or secondary cancers.
I'll now turn my remarks over to Helena.