Radio Smart Talk for Thursday, July 7:

A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating to the patient who has been disgnosed and the patient's family and friends.  Even though medical science has made great strides toward treating cancers and many more people are surviving, a person who has just learned they have cancer often imagines themselves in the worst case scenario.

However there are occasions that produce even stronger anxiety.  When a child has been diagnosed with a cancer, the emotional toll, the fear, and yes the sympathy rises to another level. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, some 10,000 childhood cancers are diagnosed in this country each year.  Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children infancy through age 15.  The good news is that mortality rates have declined by more than 50% (again, according to NCI).

As part of witf's multimedia, interactive Facing Cancer Together initiative, Radio Smart Talk will examine pediatric cancers on Thursday's program with Dr. Mary Lynn Fecile, a pediatric hemotologist/oncologist at Penn State's Hershey Medical Center.

What questions do you have for Dr. Fecile about pediatric cancers?

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