UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program

Swim Across America - San Francisco is proud to be partnering with UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Survivors of Childhood Cancer Program, which helps survivors of childhood cancer achieve optimal physical and emotional health through medical care, education and research. The long-term followup program is a critical component of UCSF's comprehensive cancer program, and SAA is glad to help!  

Over the past 50 years, tremendous strides have been made in the ability to treat childhood cancer.  With various combinations of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, 70 percent of children diagnosed with cancer are now living long-term (at least 5 years from diagnosis).  Twenty years ago, this percentage was lower than 10 percent. 

While this is great news, existing therapies can lead to other life-altering consequences.  The risks of late effects depend on the original cancer, a number of host factors and the therapies employed.  Many survivors will live relatively normal lives after cancer, while others are at risk for quality of life changes, late recurrence, second malignant neoplasm, endocrine disturbances, organ dysfunction, neuro-psychological issues, reproductive and other consequences. With the growing numbers of long-term survivors in our society, there is increasing emphasis on the importance of clinical care, research and education for this population. 

Click here to see a list of recent publications supported, in part, by Swim Across America. In addition to this research and the clinic itself, SAA is also funding the production of the Survivor passport, a unique educational tool developed at UCSF for cancer survivors. 

Swim Across America Laboratory for Pediatric Cancer Research at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute

Established in 2014, the Swim Across America Laboratory for Pediatric Cancer Research at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) supports the work of Dr. Julie Saba, a nationally known researcher working on groundbreaking new cancer therapies. The Swim Across America Lab at CHORI is directly supporting Dr. Saba's research on the role of natural lipids called sphingolipids that control cell growth and immune functions in humans and other living organisms. Her lab is exploring strategies to modulate sphingolipids to prevent or reverse cancer development and progression.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is the research arm of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland. Internationally known for its basic and clinical research, CHORI is at the forefront of translating research into interventions for treating and preventing human diseases. CHORI has 250 members of its investigative staff, a budget of about $50 million, and is ranked among the nation's top ten research centers for National Institutes of Health funding to children's hospitals. 

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (formerly Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland) is a premier, not-for-profit medical center for children in Northern California and is the only hospital in the East Bay 100% devoted to pediatrics. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland affiliated with UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco on January 1, 2014. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland is a national leader in many pediatric specialties including cardiology, hematology/oncology, neonatology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and sports medicine. One of only five ACS Pediatric Level I Trauma Centers in the state, it has one of the largest pediatric intensive care units in Northern California, 190 licensed beds, over 500 physicians in 43 specialties, more than 2,600 employees, and a consolidated annual operating budget of more than $500 million. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland is also a leading teaching hospital with an outstanding pediatric residency program and a number of unique pediatric subspecialty fellowship programs.