Cancer can happen to anyone including kids. They mostly suffer from blood cancer and resultantly brain cancer and other cancers which are the result of circulation of blood in the body.
Childhood mortality which is a problem one of the reasons for this could be kids suffering from cancer. Blood cancer mostly strikes kids in the age group 0 to 6 years while childhood mortality rate is measured with its base being 0 to 5 years.
When we talk about cancer in kids, we should also talk about problems they go through chances are there making them suffer from cancer:
Malnutrition/undernourishment is a problem which can affect kids. Lack of nutritious diet may lead to problems in their health, cancer being one amongst them.
Since kids are in their growing up stages, cancer striking them at that point of time results in their body cells or immunity not growing properly as a safety mechanism towards cancer. Cells already present in their bodies may prove a failure in keeping at bay cancer.
Cancer in kids is the mortality of mothers the reason?
Along with child mortality there is also the problem of mortality of mothers which is also high. Mothers losing their lives in the course of giving births leaving kids orphans or in surrogate care taking away the right from them of mother’s milk which is essential for development of antibodies in kids for fighting diseases upto a specific stage in childhood.
What are the signs of a kid suffering from cancer?
Loss of energy: A kid suffering from cancer may experience loss of energy required for study and play. Low concentration level or not being able to concentrate at all on studies could be one of the signs. A kid is a bundle of energy, however, for a kid suffering from cancer may only find excuses of not playing and doesn’t giggle around.
Fall/deterioration in health: Energy levels are directly associated with the health of a person and kids are no exception to this. Showing low energy may stress on kids and their chances of suffering from cancer.
Often falls ill: coming with vomiting and a kid losing blood in it. Blood cancer as one of the signs shows in vomiting blood by a person. During the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj Singh was found vomiting blood on the field but continued playing for Team India despite his suffering from blood cancer.
Cancer in kids and its severity can only be gauged from the fact of the world health body the World Health Organisation accepting it.
According to the WHO a kid suffering from cancer and one’s treatment depends on the country one belongs to. According to WHO data about 80 percent kids suffering from cancer get treated in developed countries while it is even less than 30 per cent for those belonging to developing ones. Asia as a continent and countries forming in it are all of the group of countries known as the developing ones.
India - capital of kids’ cancer cases?
Speaking in the context of India it is the second country globally with the most number of cases of kids suffering from cancer.
A large number of kids in India suffering from cancer and not getting appropriate treatment are in stark contrast to India replacing Britain as the fifth biggest economy in the world in the recent past and making great strides towards development of all forming economy if we believe in what the Indian government stresses on highly and loudly.
International Childhood Cancer Day a necessity
WHO in its seriousness towards cancer in kids stresses on International Childhood Cancer Day observed globally.
How can cancer be prevented in kids?
Kids as such don’t have any fault of theirs suffering from cancer unless they get cancer disease in their genes or in cases such as:
Tobacco consumption in parents increases chances of their kids suffering from cancer. Kids and their facing passive smoking effect can only put them in the harm’s way of cancer.
High pollution levels are another reason which can lead to cancer in kids. It is advised to keep kids away from air pollution caused by vehicles in addition to water and soil pollution which again are issues of concern.
Radiation exposure in cases may lead to cancer in kids. Not just them but adults as well leading to disturbance in cells internally. It is for this reason it is warned people handling nuclear waste to do it carefully for the threat of radiation leak involved in it.
Smartphone use in kids can lead to cancer?
Kids and their use of smartphones have gone up in the present circumstances while we can hear parents and experts stressing on lowering their exposure to screens of computers, smartphones for their wellbeing.
Wearing seatbelts avoids cancer in kids?
For kids it is advised to wear seatbelts in vehicles. Is it for the simple reason of cells in the body getting disturbed in the course of taking sharp turns, bumps etc? Not just for someone sitting at the front seat of a vehicle by the side of a driver but those sitting at the back as well, it is tried bringing a law to make seat belts mandatory for them also. In the recent past we have heard instances regarding people sitting at the back of a vehicle getting injured in accidents for not wearing seatbelts.
Encouraging healthy eating habits in kids can save them from cancer. A diet which includes more of:
vegetables
fruits
In comparison to junk, fast foods help less in formation of antioxidants in the body helpful towards avoiding cancer. A kid consuming a holistic meal having vegetables, fruits in it could be of healthy weight compared to the problem of obese kids which could be found associated with the consumption of processed foods.
Cancer has symptoms but cancer in kids can strike them without even letting them know about it in respect of signs which the body shows, affected by cancer. For kids suffering from cancer, though it may affect them health wise but totally shatters their parents, who in cases are not well off to afford treatment for their kids and if at all make their kids go through medications which are involved have to live of penury in the aftermaths.
Treating cancer in kids involves:
Radiation therapy: which is finding out affected cells in the body and destroying them in cases where they show the threat of spreading in other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy is administering kids with hard drugs, medicines for killing cancer cells in the body.
Third is trying to treat cancer in kids through administering them medicines which are not hard for their body but effective, efficient in the direction of curing cancer in them.
Cancer is a disease associated with cells in the body.
Red blood cells associated with blood in the body
White blood cells which ensures immunity of the body
Cancer cells are neither red or white but the ones which should have gotten destroyed as the body produces new cells but rather than getting destroyed start to grow separately in the body causing cancer in all - kids and otherwise. To know more about cancer in kids contact Magicine Pharma which specialises in medicines for cancer and knowledge about the disease.