Key Finds & Facts **
1. Each year, about 4 lakh children across the world & adolescents are diagnosed with cancer. More than 50,000 new childhood cancer cases are reported in India.
2. The most typical childhood cancers are Leukaemia, brain cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Ewing sarcoma & solid tumours, such as Neuroblastoma & Wilms' Tumor.
3. More than 80% of children with cancer are cured in high-income countries since comprehensive services are generally accessible and affordable.
5. However, less than 30% are cured in low and middle-income countries.
6. Childhood cancers are generally not preventable & identified through screening
6. Most childhood cancers can be cured with generic medicines and other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy. Treatment of childhood cancer can be made cost-effective in all income settings.
What causes cancer in children? **
1. Current data suggest that approx. 10% of all childhood cancer cases have shown a genetic predisposition.
2. Other common risk factors which cause cancer include HIV, Epstein Barr virus & Malaria.
How do we survive childhood cancer? **
Since it is not possible to prevent childhood cancer, the most effective strategy is to:
1. Reduce the brden of cancer in children.
2. Focus on a prompt & correct diagnosis.
3. Follow affordable, effective, evidence-based therapy with tailored supportive care.
What can be done? #
Early Diagnosis & Treatment: An accurate, timely diagnosis is essential to treat children with cancer because each cancer requires a specific treatment regimen that may include surgery, radiotherapy, & chemotherapy.^^
1. Awareness of symptoms by families and primary care providers
2. Appropriate diagnosis and staging (determining the extent to which cancer has spread)
3. Access to prompt & affordable treatment.
Palliative Care: Core component of comprehensive multidisciplinary care, starting with the diagnosis & continuing throughout the treatment. It can be delivered through community & home-based care providing pain relief & psychosocial support to patients & their families.
Let us stand with the suffering children raise awareness of the “Right care at the right time by the right team".$
References:
https://bit.ly/3Ja6Cpq, https://bit.ly/34rvs5o **
https://bit.ly/3J9QCUA #
https://iris.paho.org/handle/10665.2/34850^^
https://bit.ly/3LksTmw$
