Cancer in children is curable if detected at the early stage, said Dr Rachna Seth of the department of paediatrics at AIIMS.
It is noted that not many parents are aware that the children, even the newborns, are prone to cancer. This results to detection of cancer in later stage of the malignancy. About 50,000 children are detected with cancer every year.
Cancer specialists opine that if masses are made aware of the fact that cancer can happen in childhood too, many serious cases can be avoided.
Dr Seth suggests that prolonged illness in children due to casual symptoms, such as fever, typhoid should be immediately consulted with a doctor.
At times, the common symptoms may have “serious manifestations”, Dr Seth said.
A list of essential components of childhood cancer, should be noted. “Detection in time, referral to a right doctor, good-treatment and further building a healthy lifestyle for future can bring out the best results in curing childhood cancer.”
According to Sameer Bakshi of the department of paediatric oncology at AIIMS, “Leukaemias and lymphomas, followed closely by tumours of the central nervous system, constitute the majority of childhood cancers in India. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) is the most widespread paediatric malignancy, which accounts for one fourth of all paediatric cancers and three fourth of all newly-diagnosed leukaemias.”
The incidence of childhood ALL “is approximately three-four cases per 100,000 children under the age of 15 years,” Dr Bakshi added.