The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) has redefined what a childhood cancer diagnosis can mean. Through clinical trials that advance new treatments, COG research has helped improve survival, inform new standards of care, and shape healthier futures.
Childhood and adolescent cancers are uncommon, with only about 16,000 new cases per year in the United States. When diseases are this rare, no single hospital can effectively study them. Historically, this meant new therapies often took decades to develop because enrolling enough patients in a clinical trial was extremely challenging.
Scientific progress demands rigor and collaboration at scale. COG unites a global network of over 13,500 experts and more than 220 institutions to advance pediatric cancer research.
Over 80% of pediatric cancer patients are treated at one of COG’s member institutions. At any given time, COG has more than 50 active clinical trials, with approximately 9,500 participants registered each year, giving patients access to new treatment approaches closer to home.
COG’s research model is designed to move discoveries forward at every stage. From large-scale initiatives like Project:EveryChild, to early-phase trials through the Pediatric Early Phase-Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN), to disease-specific committee work, COG helps transform research findings into more effective treatments and better long-term outcomes.
Data generated from COG research is shared across the research network because progress in one cancer type can offer insights that improve outcomes in others. This collaborative model accelerates the pace of discovery and advances the development of new therapies for children and adolescents facing cancer.
Behind every breakthrough is a child or adolescent whose future was once uncertain. COG’s dedicated members have helped change what is possible by advancing treatment, improving outcomes, and continuing to improve life beyond survival.
Thanks to decades of discoveries and breakthroughs, more than 86% of pediatric cancer patients now survive.
But beyond every celebration is another family depending on continued progress. COG continues to work toward a future where every child and adolescent with cancer not only survives, but lives a healthy, fulfilling life.
Childhood cancers are made up of many distinct disease types, each with its own biology, treatment approach, and research focus.
These categories reflect how cancers are grouped and studied across the Children’s Oncology Group, where specialized teams focus on advancing care for each diagnosis.
Project:EveryChild provides researchers with access to over 400,000 biosamples and patient data across nearly 300 unique diagnoses.
Every data point reflects the impact of cancer on a child’s life, including the quality of life they carry into survivorship.
By building a comprehensive picture of how cancer develops and responds to treatment, Project:EveryChild helps researchers translate discoveries into more personalized care.
COG’s Pediatric Early Phase-Clinical Trials Network (PEP-CTN) studies the most promising new treatments. By identifying safe new treatments with early signs that a treatment is working, PEP-CTN helps determine which therapies should advance into larger clinical trials across the COG network.
COG’s Return of Results (ROR) program gives research participants access to plain-language summaries of clinical trial findings, including how treatments performed, potential side effects, and overall patient outcomes. These summaries reflect the full study results and are designed to keep families informed as research moves forward.