Rifat Zafreen :
For the last few days Zayan complains frequent headache. Sometimes he vomits while complains headache and it happens especially in the moring. Zayan is 13 years old. He was bold, energetic and happy but for the last few months he is getting pale absorbed with fatigue. He is having persistent nausea that he vomits with nausea and without nausea. Along with this, all these months he is just having unexplained weight loss and persistent fever that also reoccurs frequently. Zayan’s mothers being alarmed saw a doctor and he diagnosed Zayan with cancer!
Childhood cancers though is rare, the signs and symptoms can be vague and mimic with that of other illness, where doctor’s evaluation is a must and essential. The chance of developing childhood cancer is 1 in 330, where the term includes children up to the age of 19 which proves, not just the smaller children can be affected with childhood cancer.
Sudden eye or vision changes also become persistent in this case. Excessive bruising or bleaching, swelling pain in the joints, bones, pelvis, back or legs, or lump in the armpit, leg, chest, stomach or pelvis can be the symptoms of childhood cancer, though cancer in children can be essentially over looked as the signs and symptoms are either hard to recognize or can mimic other common childhood illness and injuries.
It is very natural that parents panic and get very timid with the issue of their child’s sickness but in this case it is important to be a strong advocate and persistent with the child’s physician if it is felt something is not right with the child. Parents have to be sure to watch symptoms which should not let go away that the symptoms are to be brought in the attention of the child’s pediatrician.
Some initial tests many help diagnose and suspect childhood cancer, which may lead to consultation with the specialist doctor and some more other tests to declare finally. These tests may include blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) or special type of X-ray taken with computers named CAT scans. Biopsy, bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, spinal tap which is also known as Lumbar Puncture, bone scan, PET scan etc are some final and complicated tests to diagnose cancer finally by the specialist doctor.
Biopsy is when a small piece of tissue or fluid is removed from the child’s body and sent to laboratory to be thoroughly examined for cancer cells. Biopsy can also be done through a needle or surgery depending on the situation.
In bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, a needle is placed in a bone, typically in the child’s hip bone to remove a small amount of fluid.
This fluid is tested in the laboratory to determine if there are cancer cells and determine the type of cancer cells.
Spinal tap test determines if there are cancer cells in the fluid that cushions the brain and spinal cord. This fluid called cerebrospinal fluid is removed through needle from child’s bone of spine between the vertebrae and sent to laboratory for test.
Bone scan is similar to X-ray but the child is injected with a small amount of radio active iso tope, a tracer through a vein. This tracer travels to bones where there is tumor activity not normal. The young children are sedated as they need to stay very still for completing this procedure.
PET scan or positron emission tomography scans show tumor activity and inflammation in the body. Similar to bone scan the child is injected with a small amount of radioactive isotope, a tracer, through vein and the child has to remain very calm and still. PET scan determines metabolic activity of masses in the body and so it is often used as a bone line evaluation for cancer.
Doctor may suggest to take the child to see an oncologist, a surgeon, a neurologist or other specialist depending on the outcome of the test. Parents should strictly follow the advice of the doctors and go for the tests accordingly. Detecting cancer early, before the disease has spread is one of the most powerful ways to improve cancer survival. The earlier a cancer is found, the greater the chance of being able to treat it.
Print and electronic media can help create and increase awareness about childhood cancer. It can inform all the parents about its symptoms, tests if noticed, doctors to go or so on. Programs to boost those ill fated parents psychologically can be shown and features and articles can be published focusing these on the newspapers.
So, though childhood cancer is not so common, yet parents should always be careful and should not ignore any symptoms if noticed.
Our awareness can help and save our children and so us. For all the parents their children are their world and no parents ever even can think of having their world shattered that they are always ready to even spare their own lives for their children. Let us also hope for the best for all the children of the world and so for all the parents. May all our children remain safe and stay far away from childhood cancer.
(PID- Project Feature)
