Battling Pediatric Cancer Together: Renown's COG Membership

By: Katie Buckley

October 24, 2023

Pediatric cancer patient with nurse

Every year, 16,000 children face the daunting diagnosis of cancer, and what might surprise you is that almost 90% of them receive treatment at institutions affiliated with the Children's Oncology Group (COG).

Renown Children’s Hospital, a member of COG since 2020, plays a vital role in this transformative journey. Just half a century ago, childhood cancer was a near-incurable challenge, but today, thanks to the groundbreaking research led by COG, the survival rate over a five-year period has soared to an inspiring 80%.

“The standard of care continues to advance, particularly with cancer, as more research is conducted and additional treatment options become available,” said Kristen Gurnea, Manager of Clinical Research at Renown Health. “Our community can contribute to these advancements through COG for the benefit of both individual patients and the entire population joined together in the fight against pediatric cancer. We are proud to contribute to that mission.”

As a member of the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to childhood cancer research, Renown recognizes the joint efforts from researchers and patients alike and is proud to aid in reaching this goal in partnership with COG and our very own northern Nevada community.

Benefits of COG Membership:

  • Access to ground-breaking treatments and leading-edge research
  • Clinical trial opportunities
  • Multi-institutional collaboration
  • Improved patient outcomes
  • A focus on supportive care and survivorship
  • Advanced care close to home
  • Educational resources

Current Clinical Trial Opportunities for Pediatric Cancer Patients:

  • Myeloid leukemias
  • Hodgkins lymphomas
  • Neuroblastomas
  • Various soft tissue tumors and solid tumors
  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL)

These studies typically combine a proven, safe and effective curative treatment plan with additions (such as immunotherapies) aimed at lowering the risk of disease recurrence, or relapse. These trials are incredibly important steps toward not only curing childhood cancers, but in increasing the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors post-treatment.


At Renown Health, our goal is to make it easy for patients to access clinical research as a care opportunity where patients can access a variety of standard care treatment options for their health condition or choose to participate in a clinical trial. For more information about clinical trial opportunities available to you or to ask any questions, contact the Renown Research Office at Renown-CRD@renown.org or 775-982-3646.