Unfortunately, First Nations kids with cancer have poor survival rates, and we don’t know why. Beyond the basic statistics of how many First Nations kids get cancer, and how many survive, we really don’t know much at all. We don’t know what types of cancer they get, the genetics of their cancer, what treatments might work best, or how we can make sure First Nations kids, families and communities can have the best possible experience in hospital. We also don’t know what First Nations communities want us to research about childhood cancer.
Dr Buck’s research aims to improve outcomes for First Nations kids with cancer. She is developing a culturally safe, community-led program of research that will answer the questions that kids and their families want answered. These questions include how we can improve survival of childhood cancer, what influence does genetics have, and how we can best support kids to thrive after cancer. Importantly, Dr Buck and her team are also developing guidelines for how samples from First Nations peoples can be used in medical research in a culturally safe way.