When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families often describe it as their world being flipped upside down.  One minute, life feels normal. The next, you are trying to navigate a new world filled with complex medical terms, treatment timelines, and acronyms that no parent ever wants to learn. 

Welcome to the world of childhood cancer.

During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we want to help provide context for the language of childhood cancer. Whether you are a parent, advocate, or someone who wants to better understand what these families go through, this is a good starting point.

Here are some of the most common acronyms you may see in the childhood cancer space:

Diagnoses

• ALL – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, is a blood cancer
• AML – Acute Myeloid Leukemia, rarer in children, and more common in adults,  and is a more aggressive type of blood cancer
• DIPG – Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, a highly aggressive brain tumor
• EWS – Ewing Sarcoma, a cancer that occurs in bones or soft tissue
• NB – Neuroblastoma, a cancer that often starts in the adrenal glands
• OS – Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer
• RMS – Rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer
• WT – Wilms Tumor, a kidney cancer most often found in children under five

Common Procedures and Treatments

• BMT – Bone Marrow Transplant
• CAR-T – Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy, a type of immunotherapy
• CBC – Complete Blood Count, a frequent lab test during treatment
• CVC – Central Venous Catheter, a device used to deliver medications
• IV – Intravenous, a common way of administering fluids or drugs
• LP – Lumbar Puncture, a test that examines spinal fluid for cancer cells
• MRI – Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a detailed scan often used to monitor tumors
• RT – Radiation Therapy
• SCT – Stem Cell Transplant

Support and Awareness

• CCAM – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, recognized every September
• COG – Children’s Oncology Group, the largest pediatric cancer research network
• PSF – Pinky Swear Foundation

One final acronym we hope you will remember is PSF – That’s us! Pinky Swear Foundation.

Inspired by a promise made between a father and his son, kids with cancer and their families can receive financial support from Pinky Swear Foundation for everyday expenses. This includes rent/mortgage payments, groceries, gas, and other essentials families need while their child is in treatment.

Your support during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month helps lighten the financial burden and brings real relief to real families. Together, we can turn confusion into compassion, one acronym at a time.