Cohen Announces $1.7 Million in Federal Funding for Pediatric Cancer Survivors at St. Jude

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Biomedical Research Caucus, today announced $1,713,483 in federal grant funding for the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort Study. Started in 2007 at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, the “St. Jude Life” Study, led by Dr. Melissa Hudson, is aimed at identifying a large group of pediatric cancer survivors and tracking health outcomes over the course of their lifetimes in an effort to gain insight into long-term effects of the illness and the treatments used on children.

“St. Jude is a world leader in cancer research and treatment, and projects like St. Jude Life help us understand how early-life illnesses can affect us as we grow,” said Congressman Cohen. “We should not only study the effects of cancer and cancer treatment on the human body during treatment but in the years that follow as well. Doing so can help identify treatments and behaviors that lead to the best outcomes for survivors. These new federal funds will give St. Jude’s doctors and scientists the resources they need to continue to this important study.”

As St. Jude Life moves forward, it will help close the information gap that doctors face regarding long-term health impacts of cancer treatment on children. This research will ultimately help doctors make better decisions on treatment options for children suffering from life-threatening cancers.

The St. Jude Life study is currently made up of patients 18 and older who received their diagnosis at least ten years ago, and the funding announced today will help to hospital expand the scope if St. Jude Life to those diagnosed between five and ten years ago as well. The funding will also go towards meals, housing, and transportation of patients, which can be critical as many patients in the study travel long distances to receive world-class care at St. Jude.