Blood Cancer in Children
Blood Cancer in Children
Just like adults blood cancer can also affect children.
But the type of blood cancer or leukemia that is seen in small children is also highly amenable to treatment.
Many children are also permanently cured.
The most important factor which saves lives is how well the child is treated and where it is done.
Leukemia in children should be managed only by trained haematologists or oncologists who will be able to decide the best possible treatment protocol, that is applicable to that type of cancer and context.
How do we suspect blood cancer in a child?
Fever, lumps in neck or abdomen, skin rashes, bleeding in mouth, nose or motion, pain in joints or limping, fits or unconsciousness are some dramatic events which should prompt blood tests and further evaluation.
The most treatable blood cancer is called ALL, short for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
More than 90 percent kids with ALL are curable, in India this figure is closer to 60 or 70 percent.
Other types of blood cancers are not so curable but survival figures are improving all the time.
Many of my own patients treated decades ago are now leading normal healthy lives as adults.
Rare types of leukemias in children include JMML , CML, AML that need specialsed tests to pick up and confirm.
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Many blood cancers are totally curable.
Many people have the wrong opinion that once a cancer is diagnosed its the end. Not true.
The World Health Organisation estimates about 4 lakh children get cancer every year. The good news is that many cancers in children are curable, especially blood and lymph node cancers.