On this Children ‘s Cancer Day, we took the opportunity to speak to Dr Vipin Khandelwal to experience the same. Here are some common facts about childhood cancer in India and how early diagnosis and aid in treatment are successful.
Childhood cancer is an important cause of death for children and teenagers worldwide and approximately 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years are diagnosed with cancer each year. In India, childhood cancer accounts for nearly 3-5 percent of all cancer cases. According to the cancer association of India. The good news is that most pediatric cancers are now treated with heterogeneous treatment and thus achieve a cure rate of around 80 percent.
The most common categories of childhood cancers include Leukemia, brain cancers, lymphomas, and solid tumors, such as neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor. Among all acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) it is the most common cancer with a cure rate of about 90 percent.
Diagnosis of cancer is very worrying at any age, but especially when the patient is a child. It is only natural that you should have many questions. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions and we had the opportunity to give you the answer with Dr. Vipin Khandelwal, Consultant & above, Pediatric Haematol – Oncology, BLK Center for Bone Marrow Transplant.
What is the cause of cancer – Can cancer be inherited from parents?
Like any other cancer in an adult, cancer in children also occurs due to the possibility of mutation and is not acquired most of the time. This shift in genes then leads to unregulated cell growth leading to cancer. The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. About 5 percent of all cancers in children are caused by a hereditary mutation (a genetic mutation that can be passed from parents to their children) Retinoblastoma which is an eye cancer in children is a good example of cancer caused by a hereditary mutation in some children.
What are the warning signs and symptoms for childhood cancer?
The symptoms are different for different types of cancer. There are some threatening symptoms that need to be assessed for cancer.
Any unexplained fever, weight loss and cravings, paleness, fatigue, easy bruising, or bloating.
Lump or swelling over abdomen and pelvis, head and neck, limbs, testes, lymph glands.
Pain in bones, joints, back and easy fractures.
White spot in eye, fresh squint, blindness, bulging eyeball.
In the above signs and symptoms, first we need to rule out common causes such as diseases and only then should we proceed for assessment for cancer.
Who should treat my child and what are the treatment options?
Pediatric cancers are not always treated as adult cancers because their biology and psychology are different from adults. Most childhood cancers are fast-growing and also very sensitive to chemotherapy treatment.
Cancer treatment in children is usually multimodal and may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and haematopoietic gas or bone marrow transplantation in a number of combinations. These are all highly specialized therapies that require special infrastructure and knowledge including pediatric oncologists / haematologists, pediatric surgeons, radiation oncologists, pediatric intensive care specialists, pediatric subspecies, pediatric nurse specialists, social workers and psychologists under one roof. The exact treatment in each case depends on the type and stage of cancer and often the location (for hard tumors).
What warning must a child take during and after the treatment is completed?
Because the treatment is often so long most of the time they will be at home and need extra care which includes good hygiene and balanced nutrition. They can eat whatever is healthy and cooked well at home. They can play with other family members because cancer is not contagious and does not spread. They should keep a distance from any family member who has a flu, taking care of the following we follow for COVID 19. In case of fever, they must report and come to the emergency immediately.
A child who has completed treatment for normal cancer like any other child, can go to school and play. They will receive their routine immunization that has been discontinued during treatment. It is vital that people living with childhood cancer receive ongoing care at regular intervals to monitor their growth and health after they have completed treatment.
Pediatric cancers are curative, and are as important as other common pediatric problems such as malnutrition, diarrhea, dengue, malaria for which we work so hard. It is usually not possible to prevent cancer in children, the most effective strategy to reduce the burden of cancer in children is to focus on prompt and correct diagnosis and then effective treatment.
Also read: Reduce fatigue with this easy yoga practice recommended by Akshar
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