A 501c3 Non-profit Organization
Our Mission
To impact the lives of families diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma by providing care kits, resourceful information to continue the care for your little hero during treatment, and to fund research aimed at early detection and prevention.
Our mission is to help families navigate these difficult times by providing resources that can lighten the load, information that may help answer the many questions you have or direct you to what’s available. Ultimately we hope to be able to fund research and eventually change current pediatric protocols to potentially lead to early detection and prevention.
Hepatoblastoma
Hepatoblastoma is a solid tumor cancer of the liver. This primary liver tumor which accounts for half of all liver tumors in children is rare with approximately 50 to 70 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. It occurs slightly more often in boys than girls.
Like most childhood cancers, scientists do not know the cause of this disease. Some children however are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with hepatoblastoma due to other genetic conditions. These include: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis, and Aicardi syndrome.
Hepatoblastoma is predominantly found in preschool aged children. Half of all patients are diagnosed in their first year of life, with the majority of patients being diagnosed by their third birthday.
Diagnosis and treatment monitoring can be done using X-ray, CT scan, MRI, scan and/or ultrasound.
Statistics, Risk Factors, Incidence
“Approximately 50-70 new cases/year in the US”
“95% diagnosed under 4 years of age.”
“In 50% of the cases the disease can be cured by surgery alone.”
“The 5 year survival rate for the combined stages of hepatoblastoma is 60%-70%.”
Pediatric Awareness
While the exact cause of Hepatoblastoma is largely unknown, there are commonalities among children that are diagnosed in that they are born prematurely and/or are born with low birth weight.
Due to the elusive nature of this cancer, these children often endure countless appointments with their pediatrician as well as to the emergency room. Oftentimes, they present with an idiopathic fever or chronic illness that leaves families with little answers or direction, all while cancer is the cause.
We believe more can be done to identify high risk patients and educate providers about this rare and sometimes fatal cancer.
Could a blood panel or screening have detected levels indicative of cancer and have led to early diagnosis? Potentially saved a life? For many of these babies, diagnosis comes too late. In too many of these cases, metastasis has occurred and therefore treatment options are limited and survival rates decreased.
Through our work at Bending Arrow’s, we hope to change the pediatric protocol and standard of care for babies that are born prematurely and/or those that are born at a low birth weight, by adding a blood panel to provide earlier detection for Hepatoblastoma.
