A lot of parents get worried about symptoms that their toddlers manifest. However, it is not good to jump into conclusions immediately. If you have observed some unusual symptoms in your toddler, it is best to consult a health care provider for further medical evaluation.

For the benefit of parents, awareness of what the signs cancer toddlers may have is a good thing. This is for the purpose of not immediately jumping to conclusions or for early detection of cancer. Early detection is the key to increasing the chances of survival from cancer. And in order to do this, knowing what the signs of cancer is a start.

The first thing to consider is the severity of the symptoms. So that you wouldn’t have to think about cancer every time your child has fever, consider the length of time that the sign has occurred. If the fever persists for more than 14 days, then it is time to consult a doctor.

Another sign of cancer is vomiting episodes that last for more than 7 days. Observe if the child does this every time he wakes up or at night time. If it is also associated with a headache, consult a doctor for further evaluation. Other neurological signs can be associated with brain tumor. These signs are:
• Difficulty in walking or maintaining balance
• Difficulty comprehending
• Forgetfulness
• Seizures
• Sudden change in personality

If the toddler has bone pain or muscle pain that is not related to any known injury, then this can be a sign of bone cancer, especially if it persists for weeks. Toddlers cannot express the pain in a specific way. What you can do is to observe the facial expression of the child and how it affects his normal mobility.

A persistent cough should be observed carefully, especially if it persists even after treatments have been done. The usual treatments for cough are medications for asthma and infection. But if it does not respond to this treatment, consult a physician immediately.

Lastly, the sign to watch out for is the enlarging mass. Any enlarging mass in the body can be a cause of alarm. This is because it is not normal in any way possible. Immediate consultation is recommended.

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One of the types of cancer that is still considered to be rare is childhood cancer. However, we must still be aware of the child cancer rates to keep track of it. Knowing these rates can help us see if there have been any changes and what the reasons behind these changes are.

There has been an increase in the incidence of invasive types of cancer in children during the past 20 years. It has been observed that there are now 14.8 cases per 100,000 children, compared to the rates before which were 11.5 cases per 100,000 children. However, though the incidence rates have gone up, the death rates have dramatically declined.

One of the reasons behind the increase in the incidence is the changes in the environment and the increased risk of developing cancer because of the combined effects of the causes of cancer which did not exist before. However, the reasons for the decline in the death rates of childhood cancer are the developing treatments for cancer and the medications that have been made to suppress cancer. These have resulted to cure or long-term remission.

The most common childhood cancers are leukemia and brain tumors. The incidence rates of these two are different from the others. The incidence of childhood leukemia showed no increase or decrease in its trend today compared to the trends before. The incidence rates remain the same.

As for the childhood brain tumors, the overall incidence has increased from 1975 through 2004, with the rates of 2.3 to 3.2 cases per 100,000 children. The highest incidences were in the years 1983 through 1986. However, there was an article in 1998 that explained about the “rise” of the incidence rates during these years. It was during these years that imaging techniques such as MRI was developed. It may have “increased” because during this time, malignant tumors can be differentiated from benign tumors. Despite the explanation of how this “rise” of incidence happened, the rates of childhood brain tumor have been stable until now.

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The new treatments that are available in our healthy system today are helping in increasing the survival rates in children. It has been observed through surveys and researches that children who are being treated for cancer survive longer and can cope with the emotional side effects of their illness.
The researchers have concluded that there are nine out of ten children who are being treated for childhood cancer can survive into adulthood. This is good news for children who have been diagnosed with childhood cancer. However, a lot of factors have to be taken into consideration when talking about the survival rates of children with cancer.
First, not all treatments for cancer are available in all countries. The country’s economical condition also matters. Another factor to consider is the type of cancer a child has. There are types of cancer that are very hard to cure and have limited forms of treatment available.
For instance, with leukemia, the responses of children with this type of cancer to the treatments given are good. This type of cancer is the most common type of cancer in children. The psychological and emotional effects of the illness to the child can be difficult to treat but not impossible. Therapies and treatment programs are already developing for the benefit of patients with different kinds of illnesses.
The availability of treatment is not only the sole factor why the survival rates of children are rising today. We should also consider the never-ending cancer awareness education provided by health care workers. This matters because this can help us be aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer and the risk factors associated with it.
Early detection of childhood cancer can contribute to the chances of survival of a child diagnosed with it.

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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.

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The tumors that are found in children are usually located in the brain. This is considered to be the most common type of solid tumors among children. Around 1,500 children are diagnosed to have tumor every year. Tumors that are found in the brain do not usually contain cancer cells, and upon removal, there is a big chance that the tumor may not recur. However, if it is a malignant tumor, there is a chance that the tumor may recur after treatment.

Tumors also have clear borders, meaning the tumor did not invade its surrounding tissues. This makes the removal through surgery easier. However, since it is a solid mass that presses the other parts of the brain, it produces cancer-like symptoms. Malignant tumors, unlike benign tumors which have clear borders, invade the surrounding tissues and grow easily.

Brain tumor can occur at any age. However, the tumor that occurs in adults is different from the ones that occur in children and infants. It is different when it comes to the type of cells and the responsiveness of the tumor to the treatment implemented.

The most common sign of tumor in children is the increase in intracranial pressure (ICP). It is caused by the pressure exerted from the mass in the brain. The flow of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is blocked by the mass and causes increase in the intracranial pressure. It produces manifestations such as:

• Drowsiness
• Irritability
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Personality changes
• Depression
• Decreased cardiac and respiratory function, if untreated, it may lead to coma

The manifestations also vary depending on the site of the tumor. The symptoms may be different from one child to another. The most common manifestations of tumor in the cerebrum are:

• Visual changes
• Slurred speech
• Seizures
• Personality changes
• Paralysis on half of the body
• Increase ICP

The manifestations of tumor in the brainstem are:

• Headaches
• Endocrine problems
• Respiratory changes
• Seizures
• Paralysis of muscles or nerves of the face or half of the body
• Visual changes
• Increase ICP

As for the manifestations of the tumor in the cerebrum, these are:

• Vomiting
• Uncoordinated muscle movements
• Headache
• Problems in walking
• Increase ICP

Always consult a physician whenever symptoms like these are observed in your child.

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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.
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