Cancer in Children
By: Alin ThomsTotal Views: 263, Word Count: 1037,
Cancer is very rare in children. Normally, one out of every six adult tends to develop cancer whereas about one out of every 320 children under the age of 20 develops cancer. Most commonly, cancer develops in adults or old people.
Cancer begins when cells of the body become abnormal and grow uncontrollably. Generally, these abnormal cells form a solid growth of tissue, which is called as tumor.
Cancer in children often develops in different parts of the body, which are still growing and changing, such as - blood system, brain, and kidney. Childhood cancer is the general term used to describe the range of cancer types found in children.
Types of Childhood Cancers
Following are the most common cancers found in children below the age of 14. It includes.
- Leukemia Cancer – It accounts for about 32.7% of the childhood cancer case.
- Brain and the Central Nervous System Cancers – It accounts for about 20.7% of the childhood cancer case.
- Neuroblastoma Cancer- It accounts for about 6.9% of the childhood cancer.
- Wilms Tumor – It accounts for about 4.8% of the childhood cancer. It is a cancer in kidney
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma – It accounts for about 4.3% of the childhood cancer and Hodgkin Lymphoma accounts for about 3.7%. This cancer begins in the lymph system.
- Retinoblastoma Cancer – It accounts for about 2.7% of the childhood cancer, which is caused in the eye of a child.
- Osteosarcoma Cancer- It accounts for about 2.7% which is cancer in bone of the children.
- Pleuropulmonary Blastoma Cancer -It is a rare cancer, which begins in the chest.
Cancer in Teenagers
Below are the most common types of cancer that are found in teenagers, age 15 to 19. It includes Hodgkin’s lymphoma (16.1%), CNS tumors (10%), Thyroid cancer (7.2%), Melanoma (7%), Sarcoma (5.9%), Germ cell tumors (15.2%), Ewing’s sarcoma (2.3%), and Rhabdomyosarcoma (1.9%).
Causes and Risk Factors of Cancer in Children
There is no single cause for cancer in children. Scientist believes that it is interaction of many factors, which together develops a cause for the cancer. Childhood cancer begins in the stem cells, which are the simple cells that are capable of producing other specialized cells that are needed by the body. A sporadic cell change is known as childhood cancer.
Following are the risk factors, which causes cancer in children.
1. Family history, inheritance, and genetic plays a vital role in some of the childhood cancer.
2. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, high fat diet, and working with toxic chemical can also cause cancer in adults. Children with cancer are too young to have exposed to this lifestyle factors for long period.
3. Some of the genetic disorder, inherited genetic defects or exposure to a virus or toxin also contributes to the risk of cancer in children.
4. Exposure to certain virus such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV or AIDS) can also cause childhood cancers.
5. Environmental exposure such as fertilizers, pesticides, and power lines also contribute to the development of cancer in children.
6. Some forms of the high dose chemotherapy and the radiation also lead to the development of childhood cancers.
Signs and Symptoms of the Cancer in children
Cancer is difficult to detect in children. In some cases, children may not show any symptoms or these symptoms may be due to other medical conditions. However, children with cancer may experience the following symptoms
1. Continued , unexplained weight loss
2. Headaches and vomiting
3. Increased swelling or persistent pain in the bones , joints, back or legs
4. Lump or mass in the abdomen, neck, chest, or pelvis
5. Development of excessive bleeding , bruishing or rash
6. Constant infections
7. Whitish color behind the pupil
8. Nausea
9. Constant tiredness
10. Eye or vision changes
11. Recurring or persistent fever
Diagnosis for the Cancer in Children
Doctors use many test to diagnose childhood cancer. Some tests also determine adequate treatment for the particular cancer. While doing the diagnosis test, your doctor will consider the factors like age and medical condition, type of cancer suspected, severity of symptoms and previous test results. Moreover, the following test may be used to diagnose the cancer in children.
- Blood tests
- Biopsy
- Bone marrow Aspiration
- Computed tomography( CT scan)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Ultra sound
- Positron emission tomography scan(PET)
Treatment of the Cancer in Children
Treatment of childhood cancer depends on the type of cancer, the size and location of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread or not and the overall health of the child. The following are the general treatments that are used as a part of the child’s treatment plan.
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Stem cell transplantation
After the treatment of childhood cancer, consult the doctor about the follow–up care plan of cancer. This plan may include the physical examination and a medical test to monitor the Child recovery in the coming months and years. All the children treated from the cancer need proper care and attention.
About the Author
Dr.Alin Thoms is a well known cancer specialist ( oncologist) and has been in this field since from 1995. He uses radiotherapy or drugs to treat cancer. He has done B.A and B.M.B.ch from Oxford University. His special interests lies in - leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and chemotherapy and transplantation for these disorders. He is currently director of the North London Cancer Network.
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