In the previous article we talked about the importance of early detection of childhood cancer.
The complexity of detection of cancer in children is that in many cases subjective well-being of the child may be satisfactory even in the late stages of the disease. Quite often the tumors are discovered by chance during the prophylactic examination. That’s why regular health examinations are so important. If pediatrician suspects a cancer, he sends a child to conduct additional analysis and examinations.
In the most cases, the final diagnosis is set after the biopsy.

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Detection and treatment of childhood cancer

The overall morbidity of malignant tumors in children is relatively small and approximately makes 15 cases per 100 000 children. This means that the cancer risk for the period of childhood has one child out of 450, while in adults this index is ten times higher. Among the total number of patients with cancer, children under 15 years do not exceed 2%. Nevertheless, nowadays in Russia, 4.5 – 6.5 thousands of children are annually revealed with malignant tumors. According to the statistics from the World Health Organization, cancer – is the second leading cause of death in children after violent death (injuries, homicide, suicide).

Fortunately, more than 70-80% of childhood cancers are curable. This is due to the peculiarities of physiology and histology of childhood tumors.

The cause of any kind of cancer is a genetic damage in one of the cells, which leads to uncontrolled growth and proliferation of tumor tissue. However, if in adults, we can identify a number of risk factors that may lead to similar mutations, then in the case of children, the cause of cancer is small genetic anomalies, which were inherited from their parents. Most of us have these anomalies, but not all of them lead to the development of tumors. Risk factors acting on the child (radiation, smoking, unfavorable environmental conditions) are not so important.

Keep in mind, that many genetic diseases, such as Down’s syndrome or Klinefelter’s syndrome, Fanconi anemia, are associated with the increased risk of cancer development.

Most often the children get cancer of blood-forming organs (leukemia, malignant lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease) – 70%. These tumors are called hematological malignancies. Less common are tumors of the central nervous system, bones and soft tissues. The rarest are the “adult” forms of cancer – 3% (tumors of the skin, genitals, etc.).

The most important thing in the case of cancer is early detection.

The childhood cancer mortality rate all over the world has dramatically declined during the past decade. With gratitude to the advances in treatment that we have today, the mortality rate of childhood cancer has decreased by 1.7%. These children are below 15 years of age. This decline in the mortality rate is credited to the bone marrow transplants and other treatments that aim to cure cancer and help children and teens survive the disease.
Last 2004, it has been noted that leukemia is the type of cancer that causes most mortality in all types childhood cancer. The cancer of the brain and the nervous system was the second one. From 1990 to 2004, the mortality rate of leukemia declined by 3% annually, and the mortality for brain and nervous system cancer declined by 1% per year.
The decline in childhood cancer mortality was noted to be lesser in American Indian and Alaska Natives. Their childhood cancer mortality rate still held steady. This has caused researchers to study on the reason behind these phenomena.
It has also been noted that the decline in deaths among children with cancer was rather slow for the Hispanics. The access to health care and health care facilities was the noted cause for the slow decline.
Another pattern which is not yet cleared is the slower decline of childhood cancer death rate in the Western states. The other regions have a successful decline in the mortality rates. The reason behind this is still under study.
The developments in cancer treatment and medications are the main reason why the childhood cancer mortality rate has declined. However, we should also consider focusing more on cancer awareness through health education. Childhood cancer has no specific prevention yet, but if we are all aware of how to detect the cancer early through the manifestations a child has, we could be able to detect the cancer early and increase the rate of survival of the child.

Cops for Cancer

One of the organizations that give support to cancer patients is the American Cancer Society. Their organization is dedicated towards helping those people who are facing cancer make the most out of their lives and encouraging them to never lose hope. They support the researches about cancer, patient services, early detection of cancer, its treatment and the education not only for cancer patients but for all the people as well.

There are American Cancer Society children programs too. They have pediatric cancer centers and they also provide counseling for children. This is good since having cancer may be a hard part of the life of a child. And there are times when the child cannot understand much of what is happening to him. With the programs that the organization gives, the patient and his family learn how to cope with the diagnosis, seek out options for financial and insurance issues and learn about the proper nutrition that a cancer patient needs.

The pediatric centers that the organizations support are facilities that attend to the needs of children and teens with cancer. These facilities offer their services on pediatric cancer treatment to children from birth up to the age of 18. But there are groups that extend their pediatric treatment up to the age of 21. This type of facility is good because the children are grouped with the other children of the same age. They can understand each other better and find support with each other.

Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating news for the child and his family. Having an organization like this that supports cancer patient is a temporary relief for the suffering heart, mind, body and soul. There are times when we find refuge on people we don’t know. And this is what the organization aims to do –to let cancer patients and their families know that during hard times, they have somebody to lean on.
Cops for Cancer

The types of cancer that are seen in adults are different from the ones seen in children. The most common types of cancer in children are bone cancer, leukemia, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, retinoblastoma, wilms tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and brain and other tumors of the nervous system. However, there are times when a type of cancer that is commonly seen in adults occurs in a child, but this is a rare instance.

Leukemia is considered as the most common type of cancer in children. Statistics state that almost 34% of all the cancer in children is leukemia. The types of leukemia that commonly occurs in children are acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Both types of leukemia cause generalized body weakness, bleeding, weight loss, bone and joint pain, fever, and other symptoms.

Neuroblastoma is one of the types of cancer that starts during the fetal life. Some certain types of nerve cells are the ones that are affected in this type of cancer. it commonly occurs in infants and young children and it manifests as a tumor in the abdominal area.

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymph tissues. However, later on, the cancer spreads to the other organs. The symptoms manifested by a child with lymphoma are swollen lymph nodes, fever, sweating and weakness.

Retinoblastoma is a type of cancer that affects the eye. This affects children ages 2 to 6. The eye of the child may look unusual because the pupil is colored while or pink. This symptom is also known as the cat’s eye reflex.

Wilms tumor affects one kidney at first, however, in rare cases, both kidney are affected. It manifests as a swelling on the abdominal area. It causes nausea, poor appetite, fever and pain.

It is important to know the information about the different types of cancer in children. This helps us to be aware just in case we encounter children with early symptoms of these illnesses. Early detection is important for timely treatment and possible recovery of the child.
Cops for Cancer

Parents normally worry about their child’s health especially if the child is feeling unusual. There are some parents who cannot help but jump into conclusions when their children get sick for more than 5-7 days without a good explanation of its cause. A parent should not worry too much and bring the child to the pediatrician instead so that further evaluation and tests can be made.
Childhood cancer is very rare among children. Though there are many types of cancer that mainly occurs on children, the risk of a child having it is fairly low. For the benefit of the parents, here are the signs of cancer in children. Each one of us should know these signs so that we can be aware of what to be worried about and what should be not.
For bone cancers, the common signs are bone pain, weak bones that lead to fractures, inability to movie normally and swelling or tenderness around a one or a joint. With leukemia, the signs to be watched out for are easy bruising, bleeding gums, frequent nose bleeding, swollen lymph nodes, night sweats, weakness, dizziness, paleness, loss of appetite and repeated infections.
For neuroblastoma, the signs are lump in the abdominal area, chest, pelvis and neck, constipation, difficulty urinating, weight loss, stomach pain, bone pain, irritability, difficulty breathing, vision problems and droopy eyelids. Wilm’s tumor has warning signs such as abdominal swelling with or without pain, constipation, night sweats, nausea, vomiting, malaise and fever of unknown origin.
Brain cancers have signs such as balance and walking problems, back pain, excessive thirst and urination, growth retardation, vision problems, headache during the morning or at sleeping time, weakness and clumsiness, persistent vomiting and seizures that are not related to a high temperature.
For rhabdomyosarcoma, the signs to be watched out for are hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, persistent abdominal pain, lump or swelling in the extremities and the groin area, drooping eyelids, protruding eyeball, swelling of the eye and rapid vision changes.
Lymphomas often manifest on children as breathing difficulties, swollen lymph nodes, weakness, unexplained weight loss and swelling of the face. For retinoblastoma, one sign is certain – the cat’s eye reflex.
There are no specific signs that point out generally to cancer. If you observe any of these signs on your child, the important thing is to stay calm, and immediately report the situation to the doctor.

Cops for Cancer