Ballywho News

Few things are more frightening to a parent than finding out their child has cancer. Unlike many other childhood traumas, it is something that they can’t make go away. Depending on the type of cancer, there are a variety of treatment options, and these may seem confusing – even scary – to moms and dads and their kids.

Kids and cancer

The American Cancer Society says that in 2010, about 10,700 kids under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. Unless you have a son, daughter, or other young family member with cancer, you may not be aware that children are more likely to develop certain cancers than adults. According to KidsHealth.com, the most common childhood cancers are:

• Leukemia (a cancer of the bone marrow and blood)
• Lymphoma (affects the body’s immune system)
• Brain cancer (there are different types of tumors)
• Osteosarcoma (bone cancer; usually seen in teens)

Improving the odds

Each year, 12,500 children and teenagers are diagnosed each year with cancer, according to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and there is a 1 in 300 chance that a young person will develop cancer before they turn 20 years old. The good news is, the cancer cure rate for kids and teens is nearly 80%, up from 58% just two decades ago.

Did you know that Palms West Hospital offers the only hematology oncology program in Western Palm Beach County? If you live in this area and your child or teen has a blood disorder, a blood cancer, or any other type of cancer, he or she can be treated locally on an inpatient or outpatient basis.

How is cancer detected?

Signs of childhood cancer are often the same as a number of other conditions, including:

• Infection
• Swollen glands
• Fever
• Anemia (lack of iron in the blood)

Some of the less common symptoms are a sudden and unexplained weight loss, an unusual lump, and continuing pain in one area of the body.

How it’s treated

Children receive cancer treatment differently than adults, because their organs and bodies are still growing. Depending on the type of cancer they have, the child may receive chemotherapy and/or radiation, but not necessarily surgery.

For example, an operation is not usually indicated for treatment of leukemia or lymphoma, since these are found in the blood and the body’s immune network. But a child with brain cancer may have surgery to remove the tumor.

Living with cancer

How a child will handle a diagnosis of cancer depends on his or her age and personality. Kids should be told that they have an illness, but in a manner that they can understand. The explanation you provide to a two-year-old will be much simpler than the one you give an eight-year-old.

Finding out your child has cancer is devastating, but you do not have to cope with the diagnosis alone. The pediatric oncology team at Palms West Hospital can help during this difficult time. To learn more, contact Consult-A-Nurse^® at 1-888-256-7723, or visit Palms West Hospital online.