Early warning signs of cancer in children

Did you know that cancer is no respecter of even children? It is not only adults that suffer this horrible disease.

A recent study by scientists at the Roswell Parks Cancer Institute, United States of America, shows that it is the second leading cause of death in children younger than 15 after accidents in developed countries.

It is often detected late and misdiagnosed because when care givers, health care professionals and parents see its signs and symptoms in these children, they think it is a growth or phase that the children will outgrow.

But this is often not the case; nobody outgrows cancer growth. Rather, it should be taken out as soon as it is detected.

Head, Paediatric/ Oncology Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Prof . Adebola Akinsule says children develop cancer but if detected and treated early, they have 80 per cent chance of surviving it than adults.

Akinsuile, who spoke at an awareness programme organised by Help to Heal /Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation, in collaboration with Golden Tulip Hotels in Lagos on Thursday, notes that even though its curable, many Nigerian children die from it due to various challenges.

One of them is late detection and misdiagnosis. According to paediatric oncologist, many children have died of various cancers because of lack of knowledge on the part of the parents and the caregivers like nurses and doctors.

He says because the nature and type of cancers that develop in children are different from those that develop in adults, they are not easy to spot.

Akinsuile adds that cancers in children are hard to recognise because its symptoms mimic common illnesses like malaria, bumps and bruises which can mask the early warning signs.

He states, “Cancer in children is not as a result of the lifestyle or environmental risk factors like smoking, pollution and drinking. Instead, it’s usually the result of DNA changes in cells that take place very early in life even from the womb. This is difficult for many to accept.

“Cancer can happen to anybody even in babies. When its symptoms start, most mothers think it is malaria or measles, it is until they see the right doctor that they can know that it is cancer,” the expert stresses.

He pleads with parents to stop self medication on their children and take then to see a doctor or specialist any time they notice an usual growth or when they fall ill frequently.

Akinsuile notes, “It is parents that can help us fight cancer in children because they are the first to see it. They are the ones that will bring the child to the hospital; children don’t come to see the doctors on their own.

“Don’t be scared to take your child to a doctor if you notice that he/she has an unusual growth in any part of the body. It could be cancerous and if we need to remove it early. Today, up to 70 per cent of all cases of cancer in children can be cured, you cannot say that for adults. It is not a verdict that your child will die.”

To shed more light on cancer in children and to encourage early detection, experts on kidshealth.com take a closer look at the top five cancers found in children and the warning signs .

Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow. It is the most common childhood cancer and accounts for about 34 per cent of all cancers in children. All cases occur between the ages of two and four and is more common in males than females.

Symptoms – Leukemia starts with bone and joint pain, fatigue, weakness, bleeding, fever and weight loss.

Brain Tumours and other nervous system tumours make up about 27 per cent of childhood cancers. Most brain tumours in children start in the lower parts of the brain, such as the cerebellum or brain stem. Although brain tumours are typically different in children as opposed to adults, many of the symptoms remain same. They include headache, dizziness, balance problems, vision, hearing or speech problems and frequent vomiting

Neuroblastoma

It arises from immature nerve cells in infants and young children. Primarily found in children younger than five, this disease often begins in the adrenal glands and makes up seven per cent of childhood cancers in the US. It’s more common in males than females, and only one to two per cent of children with this disease have a family history of it.

Symptoms:

Impaired ability to walk and changes in eyes (bulging, dark circles, droopy eyelids).Pain in various locations of the body and diarrhoea and high blood pressure

Wilms Tumour

It starts in the kidneys and is the most common type of paediatric kidney cancer. Wilms tumours usually only form in one kidney, but sometimes both – only in small cases – and accounts for about five per cent of all paediatric cancers. This disease is typically found in very young children – three to four years old – and is not common in children over six. There are approximately 5000 new cases and about 9 out of 10 children are cured.

Symptoms:

Swelling or lump in the belly, fever, pain, nausea and poor appetite.

Lymphoma

It starts in certain cells of the immune system called lymphocytes. These cancers affect lymph nodes and other lymph tissues, like the tonsils or thymus. They can also affect the bone marrow and other organs, and can cause different symptoms depending on where the cancer is growing.

Symptoms:

•Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin, unexplained weight loss, fever, sweats and weakness.

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