Overview of cancer in children: Causes, diagnosis & treatment

What you must know about cancer in children/pediatric cancer?

Cancer in children or pediatric cancer is relatively uncommon. Less than 13,500 cases and about 1,500 deaths are reported among kids aged between 0 to 14 years. While more than 1.4 million cases and 575,000 deaths are noted in adults annually. In spite of rare cases, cancer among children remains the 2nd most leading cause of death.

Cancer types that also occur in adults are:

• Leukemia (33%)
• Brain Tumors (25%)
• Lymphomas (8%)
• Bone Cancer like Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma (4%)

Most common cancers include:

• Neuroblastoma (7% cases)
• Wilms Tumor (5% cases)
• Rhabdomyosarcoma (3 to 4% cases)
• Retinoblastoma (3% cases)

How’s cancer in children different compared to adults?

Cancer in children and adults starts when the cell starts to grow out of control and fails to die naturally. These cells further spread to the rest of the body and cause cancer in different areas. The root cause for cancer in both adults and children is the same, but there’s a difference in the type of cancer caused in children and its treatment procedure.

Types of it are different comparatively

Cancer types in adults differ from the cancers that develop in children. Most cancers develop in adults due to their unhealthy lifestyle and environmental risk which doesn’t happen with children. Only a small number of cancers in children develop due to gene mutation, passed from their parents.

Treatment is most likely to be successful

Most cancers in children respond successfully to certain treatments. It’s a result of different cancer types or due to intense treatments offered to children. In addition, children are free of other health problems than adults that can complicate or worsen with treatment.

Severe long-term complications

There’s an increased risk of side effects on children’s bodies after some types of treatment. For instance, young kids are under a high risk of radiation therapy, and long-term side effects as they are growing.

What are the risk factors and causes of pediatric cancer?

Here are some of the most common risk factors and causes of cancer in children –

Lifestyle and environmental factors

Unlike adults, lifestyle risk factors like smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, and unhealthy eating habits can increase the chances of cancer. It doesn’t apply to children. However, lifestyle factors can take a few years to increase the risk of cancer.

Environmental factors, such as radiation exposure is more lily to increase the risk of cancer in children. Studies also suggest that coming under second-hand exposure to smoking (parental exposure) also increases the children’s risk of developing cancer. Though, there aren’t enough cases that develop from detrimental environmental factors.

Gene Mutation

With extensive studies in gene behavior, scientists have understood the reason behind some changes in the DNA inside our cells that causes it to turn cancerous. DNA is the chemical that makes up our genes and orders the cells on how to function. DNA formation also makes us look similar to our parents. DNA also influences the risk of developing a few diseases, including cancer.

Genes control how our cells grow, reproduce and die. Those genes that help in cell growth division, and keeping them alive are known as oncogenes. While Tumor suppressor genes help to slow down cell division, repair error in cell’s DNA, and cause them to die at the right time. Cancer takes place when the DNA changes by turning on the oncogenes or turning off tumor suppressor genes.

Inherited or acquired gene changes

DNA changes can be inherited from the parents that increase the risk of developing cancer. Gene mutations are present in every cell of children’s body and can be tested through blood tests or other body cells. Any type of DNA change is somewhat linked with the risk of cancer, while others can also cause other health and development issues in children.

Inherited DNA changes aren’t the only cause of pediatric cancer, it can be also acquired in the early stages of the child’s life. Gene changes can develop at infancy or even before birth. When cells divide into two new cells, the DNA is copied to offer the same characteristics. Many times, the cell division doesn’t go correct, and errors take place when the cells are growing rapidly. This kind of gene mutation occurs naturally and at any time of life, known as acquired mutation. Acquired mutation takes place in only individual cancer cells, and will not be inherited by their children.

At certain times, cancer-causing gene changes in adults can be identified, in cause such as cancer-causing chemicals in cigarette smoke. But the cause of DNA changes is still not discovered in pediatric cancer. Some causes like radiation exposure and other types show their causes, but there are still to be discovered.

How to prevent ?

In children, lifestyle changes and other risk factors like smoking don’t play as a significant risk factor, resulting in cancer. Some of the environmental factors like radiation exposure are somewhat associated with increasing the risk of pediatric cancer. In cases of mandatory exposure to radiation is simply required, for instance, to treat a child’s cancer through radiation therapy.

In conclusion, there’s very little chance of preventing cancer in children.

It’s extremely rare to inherit a gene mutation that increases the risk of a certain type of cancer. In those cases, doctors recommend preventive surgery to remove an organ to stop the chances of cancer development in that particular area. But again, this is very infrequent.

How to diagnose ?

Here are some of the well-known measures to detect growing cancer in children.

Screening

Going for regular testing or screen in spite of any visible symptoms or not helps to catch an early disease like cancer. Since childhood cancer is very rare, there aren’t enough screening tests available for children to catch cancer, if there are no chances of increased risk.

Inherited gene mutations from parents increase the chance of developing certain kinds of cancer in children. So those kids must be put under careful consideration, and visit regular medical check-ups to become aware of early signs and symptoms.

Symptoms

Cancer in children is mostly recognized in the early stages, either by the kids’ doctor or by the family members. Identifying any signs or symptoms of growing cancer in children is extremely difficult. On top of that, children are most likely to get sick or develop bumps or bruises that conceal the early signs of cancer.

Cancer in children is extremely rare, in spite of that, we must take kids to routine checkups and screen if any unusual signs and symptoms are found. Here are some unusual symptoms found in childhood cancer:

• Lump or swelling
• Tiredness or inactivity
• Easy bleeding or clot development
• Limping
• Continuing body pain or aching
• Recurring headache or vomiting
• Fever or illness for too long, without any cause
• Sudden development of eye and vision problems
• Unexplained weight loss

These symptoms are also common among other illnesses such as injury and infection. Still, you must take these signs into consideration and see a doctor know the exact cause.

What’s the treatment for cancer in children?

Pediatric cancer treatment involves the type and stage of cancer. Here is the major type of childhood cancer treatment:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy

Some type of cancer treatment also has to go with high-dose of chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant. Targeted therapy drugs and immunotherapy, are the new option in cancer treatment in children that are becoming effective in treating some type of cancer.

What is Palliative care?

Palliative cancer helps to resolve symptoms caused by cancer and restore the healthy life of the patient and their families. Cancer in children is never easy to undergo, in the family, there are a growing concern and sensitivity attached to the child. In most cases, cancer in children isn’t cured but the suffering could be resolved.

In such a condition, pediatric palliative care helps greatly with taking comprehensive care, starting from the diagnosis to the treatment. These care programs help with various communities and can be operated at home. It helps families with psychosocial support and pain relief.

FAQS on cancer in children/cancer in children/pediatric cancer

What is the most deadly childhood cancer?

Brain cancer affects severely out of cancers in children. More than 500 children are diagnosed with brain tumors annually, leading to 34% of death.

What are the chances of my child getting cancer?

The chances of cancer in children can’t be determined, though cancer is the second most cause of death in children.

What were your child’s first symptoms of leukemia?

The most common symptoms of leukemia are:

• Bruising and bleeding
• Trouble while breathing
• Swelling
• Stomach problems
• Loss of appetite
• Unexplained infection
• Anemia
• Bone and joint pain

What causes childhood cancer?

The real cause of cancer in children is still unknown. However, environmental factors and inheritance play a big role.

What is the survival rate of childhood cancer?

Survival rates are determined based on cancer types and various other factors. The survival rate of pediatric cancer has increased, about 84% of children survive for 5 years and more.

Book an appointment with the Best Cancer Specialist at Oncoplus Hospital.