About Pediatric
Cancer Foundation

Started in 1970 as the Maxwell Leeds Pediatric Tumor Foundation, we are a nonprofit committed to making pediatric cancer a relic of the past. PCF works toward this vision by supporting the seminal research, doctors, and institutions where progress is made.

PCF is proof that individuals and communities can accomplish amazing things. In a time of underfunded hospitals and scarce government grants, our 200 volunteers raise vitally needed funds through an annual Walkathon, Luncheon, Evening Event series, and countless bake sales, bowl-a-thons, and satellite events.

In 2017 alone, these fundraisers have contributed half a million dollars to leading oncology institutions:

We want our donors to know what we’re up against:

• Cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental deaths in children ages 1 to 14.
• All types of childhood cancers combined receive only 4% of the U.S. federal funding for cancer research.
• For every six research dollars per patient with AIDS and every one research dollar per patient with breast cancer, a child with cancer receives 30 cents.
• In the United States, approximately 10,590 children under the age of 15 and roughly 5,000 adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 will be newly diagnosed with cancer this year. That is about the equivalent of two classrooms diagnosed each school day.
• Childhood cancer rates have been incrementally rising for the past few decades, mostly due to improved detection. It is estimated that 1,180 deaths from cancer will occur this year in children in this age group and 600 deaths from cancer in teens aged 15 to 19.
• Cancer affects all ethnic, gender, and socio-economic groups and more than 40,000 children undergo treatment for cancer each year. While some diagnoses have good cure rates, others have significantly less positive outcomes. Our goal is to find a cure for every child.
• Because of major treatment advances in recent decades, more than 80% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more. Overall, this is a huge increase since the mid-1970s, when the 5-year survival rate was about 58%.
• 60% of children who survive suffer devastating late effects such as secondary cancers, muscular difficulties and infertility.

Pediatric Cancer Foundation, known as the Maxwell Leeds Pediatric Tumor Foundation until well after 1982, was founded in 1970 by grateful parents whose son underwent surgery at Babies Hospital, New York Presbyterian Medical Center. (This hospital is now known as Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian.) These grateful parents established the Foundation after realizing that malignant pediatric tumors were extremely prevalent and that children afflicted in this way needed treatment with the most advanced medical techniques.

The Foundation started simply and utilized the services of devoted volunteers to perform every aspect of fund raising. The first group of Directors were the parents’ family, neighbors and friends, but in a relatively short period of time the membership expanded rapidly to over 40 committed individuals who gave their expertise, time, and support to achieve outstanding goals in basic and clinical research as well as care and treatment of children with cancer.