Childhood cancer: symptoms, causes, types and treatments

The symptoms of childhood cancer depend on where it begins to develop and the degree of organ invasion it affects. One of the symptoms that leads parents to suspect that the child is sick is weight loss without an apparent cause, when the child eats well, but continues to lose weight.

The diagnosis is made after a battery of complete tests that serve to determine what type of tumor the child has, its stage, and whether there are metastases or not. All of this information is important to help determine the most appropriate treatment, which may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

Childhood cancer is not always curable, but when it is discovered early and there are no metastases there is a great chance of a cure. Although leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children and adolescents, affecting 25 to 30% of cases, in this age group there is also lymphoma, kidney cancer, brain tumor, cancer in muscles, eyes and bones.

Main Symptoms of Cancer in Children

Some of the main features of cancer symptoms in children are:

• Low fever with no apparent cause that lasts more than 8 days; Bruising and bleeding from the nose or gums; Pain in the body or in the bones that leads the child to refuse to play, which makes him lie down most of the time, getting irritated or having trouble sleeping; Tongue that are generally larger than 3 cm, hard, slow-growing, painless and are not justified by the presence of infection; Vomiting and headache for more than two weeks, especially in the morning, accompanied by some neurological sign such as changes in gait or vision, or even abnormally enlarged head; Abdomen enlargement with or without abdominal pain, vomiting and constipation or diarrhea; Increased volume in both eyes or one; Signs of early puberty, such as pubic hair or enlarged genitals before puberty; Head enlargement, when the fontanelle (softener) is not yet closed, especially in babies under 18 months; Blood in the urine.

When parents observe these changes in the child, it is recommended to take him to the doctor so that he can order the necessary tests to arrive at the diagnosis and thus be able to start the treatment as soon as possible. The faster you start treatment, the greater the chances of a cure.

Learn all the symptoms of leukemia, the most common type of cancer in children and adolescents.

How to make the diagnosis

The diagnosis of childhood cancer can be made by the pediatrician based on the symptoms and to confirm the suspicion, tests such as:

• Blood tests: in this exam the doctor will analyze the CRP values, leukocytes, tumor markers, TGO, TGP, hemoglobin; CT scan or ultrasound: it is an image exam where the presence or degree of development of cancer and metastasis; Biopsy: some tissue is harvested from the organ where it is suspected that it has been affected and is analyzed.

The diagnosis can be made, even before the first symptoms, in a routine consultation and, in these cases, the chance of recovery is greater.

What causes cancer in children

Cancer often develops in children exposed to radiation or medication during their pregnancy. Viruses are also related to some types of childhood cancer, such as Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and isolated Epstein-Barr virus, and some genetic changes favor some type of cancer, however, it is not always possible to know exactly what can lead to the development of cancer in children.

Main types of childhood cancer

Children under 5 years of age, most affected by cancer have leukemia, but childhood cancer also manifests itself through kidney tumors, germ cell tumors, tumors of the sympathetic nervous system and liver tumors.

Can childhood cancer be cured?

Cancer in children and adolescents is curable in most cases, especially when parents are able to quickly identify symptoms and take them to the pediatrician for evaluation.

Childhood or adolescent tumors, in most cases, tend to grow more quickly compared to the same tumor in adults. Although they are also more invasive, they respond better to treatment, which the earlier it is instituted, the better chances of cure when compared to adults with cancer.

To treat childhood cancer it is usually necessary to have radiotherapy and chemotherapy to eliminate the cancer cells or to have surgery to remove the tumor, and the treatment can be done at the Cancer Hospital closest to the child's location free of charge. Treatment is always guided by a team of doctors, such as oncologist, pediatrician, nurses, nutritionists and pharmacists who, together, seek to support the child and the family.

In addition, treatment should include psychological support for the child and parents to help address the feeling of injustice, changes in the child's body, and even fear of death and loss.

Treatment options

The treatment for cancer in children aims to control or halt the growth of cancer cells, preventing them from spreading through the body and, therefore, it may be necessary:

• Radiotherapy: radiation similar to that used in X-rays is used, but with greater energy than is applied to kill cancer cells; Chemotherapy: very strong drugs are given in the form of pills or injections; Surgery: surgery is done to remove the tumor. Immunotherapy: where specific medications are administered against the type of cancer the child has.

These techniques can be done alone or, if necessary, together to be more successful and treat cancer.

Most cases require the child to be admitted to the hospital for a variable period of time, according to their state of health, however, in some cases, the child may undergo treatments during the day and return home at the end.

During treatment, it is common for the child to experience nausea and poor digestion, so see how to control vomiting and diarrhea in the child undergoing cancer treatment.

Support for children with cancer

Treatment against childhood cancer should include psychological support for the child and the family itself, as they constantly experience feelings of sadness, revolt and fear of death, in addition to having to face the changes that occur in the body, such as hair loss and swelling, for example.

Therefore, it is important to:

• Praise the child daily, saying that he is beautiful; Give attention to the child, listening to their complaints and playing with them; Accompany the child in the hospital, being beside him during the performance of clinical procedures; Let the child go to school, whenever possible; Maintain social contact with family and friends.

To learn how to help your child live with cancer read: How to help your child cope with cancer.