Although, cancer is rare diseases among children, as a parent, you need to be aware of the symptoms of childhood cancer. This pamphlet will help you to know more about signs and types of most common childhood cancers.
Signs of childhood cancer
Seek medical advice if you noticed any of the following signs:
Continued, unexplained weight loss
Headaches with vomiting in the morning
Increased swelling or persistent pain in bones or joints
Lump or mass in abdomen, neck or elsewhere
Development of a whitish appearance in the pupil of the eye
Recurrent fevers not due to infection
Excessive bruising or bleeding
Noticeable paleness or prolonged tiredness
The following are some descriptions of the most common children’s cancer to help you identify certain signs and symptoms and what tests to ask your doctor.
Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, the spongy center of the bones that makes blood cells.
In leukemia, abnormal white blood cells divide out of control and crowd out the normal cells in the bloodstream. The abnormal white blood cells are not mature, and therefore cannot carry out their infection-fighting function in the blood. These cells crowd out healthy white blood cells, as well as the red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the body, and the platelets, which cause the blood to clot.
It accounts for approximately 35% of all childhood cancers; approximately 1 in 1000 children will be diagnosed with leukemia by the age of 19, although it is more common in children under the age of 10.
A child may show some or all the symptoms above at early stages of Leukemia. These same symptoms are also attributed to the common flu; this fact makes diagnosis extremely difficult.
Leukemia is treated by combination chemotherapy and sometimes radiation.
Take your child to the doctor. The doctor will:
Do not wait: leukemia progresses quickly and must be treated promptly.
It is the growth of malignant cells in your brain.
Brain cancers account for 15% of pediatric cancers.
The symptoms depend on the location of the tumor. Since the brain controls learning, memory, senses (hearing, visual, smell, taste, touch), emotions, muscles, organs, and blood vessels, the presentation of symptoms varies accordingly.
Since young children often do not complain of the symptoms, parents must rely on their own observations of their child to be aware of signs and symptoms.
Brain tumors are treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, depending on the type of tumor and the promptness of diagnosis.
Parents are advised to rely on own “gut feelings”. When you feel that your child is not what he used to be, do take the child to the doctor. You may also consider talking your child to an eye doctor for a vision test.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer of specific part of the nervous system.
Neuroblastoma is a solid tumor which shows as a lump or mass in the abdomen or around the spinal cord.
It accounts for 5%-7% of all childhood cancers; about 1 in 6000 children will be diagnosed with neuroblastoma by the age of 5.
The symptoms of Neuroblastoma vary based on the location of the tumor.
Most neuroblastomas are found in the abdomen:
Parents may feel a lump or mass while dressing or bathing their child.
A tumor in the abdomen may cause the child to feel “full”, experience stomach pain, loss of appetite, constipation, and difficulty urinating.
Other primary sites can include the head/neck or chest.
Symptoms sometimes appear with less specific characteristics such as weight loss, fever, or other vague feelings of ill health, and therefore any unusual signs or symptoms for which there are no apparent causes should be investigated.
Treatment will be determined by many factors, including the stage of the disease at diagnosis and your child’s age.
Wilms tumor is a cancer that affect the kidney. It is totally unrelated to adult kidney cancer. It occurs in about 8 in 1 million children under age 14; it is more common in children under age 7.
Wilms is best treated when it is found early, before it has spread to other areas of the body.
Treatment for Wilms includes surgery, chemotherapy, and possibly radiation, depending on how far the cancer has spread.
The doctor may order tests to confirm the diagnosis such as, magnet resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scan.
Wilms tumor is a cancer that affect the kidney. It is totally unrelated to adult kidney cancer.
It occurs in about 8 in 1 million children under age 14; it is more common in children under age 7.
Wilms is best treated when it is found early, before it has spread to other areas of the body.
Treatment for Wilms includes surgery, chemotherapy, and possibly radiation, depending on how far the cancer has spread.
The doctor may order tests to confirm the diagnosis such as, magnet resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT) scan.
Wilms is best treated when it is found early, before it has spread to other areas of the body.
Treatment for Wilms includes surgery, chemotherapy, and possibly radiation, depending on how far the cancer has spread.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a fast-growing, highly malignant soft-tissue cancer, which arises in the muscle tissue.
This type of cancer can occur in a variety of places in the body: the head, neck, and around the eyes; the extremities (shoulders, arms, and legs); in the pelvic region, genital tract, and urinary tract; and in the chest and lungs.
Rhabdomyosarcoma usually affects children the ages of 2 to 6 and 15 to 19.
A noticeable lump or swelling is present in many cases of rhabdomyosarcoma. Other symptoms depend on the location of the tumor.
Lymphomas are malignant cell affecting of the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system includes the nodes located in the neck, armpit, and groin. These nodes are only part of the lymph system, as they are connected to each other and to the spleen, thymus, and parts of the tonsils, stomach, and small intestine.
Once a malignancy begins in one part of the lymph system, it often spreads throughout the rest of the system before it is detected.
Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the retinal cell layer of the eye. It is the most common eye cancer in children.
It usually occurs before the age of 5, and can occur in one or in both eyes, and it is hereditary in some cases. cancers
Osteosarcoma and Ewing’s sarcoma are the most common cancers of bone tissues in children.
Bone cancers are most common in ages 10-20, and they account for about 6% of all childhood cancers.
Osteosarcoma, the more common of the 2 types, usually presents in bones around the knee.
Ewing’s sarcoma may affect bones of the pelvis, thigh, upper arm, or ribs.
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