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Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the most suitable treatments for cancer of all types. When applied to children the result is even more efficient , since children’s cells are still immature, highly sensitive and respond more quickly and effectively to the medication applied.
Unfortunately, we deal with more and more case reports of people diagnosed with cancer every day. An aggressive disease that accelerates cell growth and can lead to death. Although we know many cases of cure, which is already possible with the advancement of medicine, some types of cancer are even more aggressive and do not respond positively to many treatments.
Cancer in Children
When cancer affects children it is even more difficult to accept this diagnosis, since the symptoms are quite complex after some treatments and mainly due to the risk of death. But we cannot be overwhelmed by this disease and we must face it head on and rely on modern medical resources and increasingly effective treatments .
There are more than 100 types of cancer already mapped and affecting several organs of the body. As with most diseases, the faster the diagnosis and the earlier treatment begins, the greater the chances of positive results and even a cure.
Some types of cancer are more common in children, such as leukemia , tumors of the central nervous system and lymphomas, all of which have chemotherapy as the most suitable treatment.
What is Oncology?
Oncology is the term used to refer to the part of medicine that deals with tumors and cancer . The origin of the word comes from the Greek “onkos” which means mass (volume) plus “logia” which means study, resulting, therefore, in the name Oncology: study of tumors.
It is oncology that studies all forms of cancer , their development, causes and the most effective treatments. It is a very complex area, since cancer represents a set of more than 100 diseases with very aggressive impacts on the body, leading in many cases to death.
The professional in this area is the oncologist, he is the doctor who specializes in treating cancer. He who is prepared for an accurate diagnosis, to prescribe the necessary tests for analysis and of course, to indicate the appropriate systemic treatment for each type of cancer, as well as the ideal type of chemotherapy.
As cancer can affect any part of the body, the oncologist always has the support of specialists from the most varied areas such as pediatrician, physiotherapist, nutritionist, surgeon and many others who are equally important throughout the treatment.
Oncological Treatment
The main goal of cancer treatment is to cure. Oncologists treat each person’s cancer with exclusivity, considering the condition of that patient and indicating the treatment that they believe is the most effective to achieve a definitive cure.
But unfortunately we know that there are cases where a cure is not possible. In these situations, cancer treatment aims at remission of the disease, so that the patient can live as long as possible and with the best quality possible. Ultimately, where the remission of the disease is remote, treatment will focus on its control and care for symptoms.
Most Common Types of Cancer in Childhood
Although there are countless types of cancer that can affect any part of the body, they are all the result of the out-of-control growth of some cells . Also known as neoplasia. Cancer can affect women, men and children, although there are some types of cancer more favorable in each of these groups.
Find out what are the most common types of cancer in children:
- Leukemias (33%)
- Tumors of the central nervous system (20%)
- Lymphomas (12%)
- Neuroblastoma (8%)
- Tumor de Wilms, dos rins (6%)
- Tumors of mole parts (6%)
- Bone tumors (5%)
- Retinoblastoma, in the eyes (3%)
The most common childhood cancer is leukemia , which occurs in the bone marrow (the marrow of the bones) where blood is also produced. The disease is diagnosed through an analysis (myelogram) of this blood from within the bone and is classified into 4 types of leukemia: Acute Lymphoid (ALL), Acute Myeloid (AML), Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) or Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia ( LLC) that only occurs in adults.
Leukemia Treatment
Children with leukemia usually have symptoms such as: pain in bones or joints, bruises on the body, bleeding, pallor, dejection, fatigue and fever. The most effective treatment for Leukemia is chemotherapy, which has cure rates of up to 80% of cases. The radiotherapy and bone marrow transplant are also recurrent in the treatment against this type of neoplasm.
Chemotherapy in Children
Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs that act by preventing cells from reproducing or growing out of control. Despite being very effective in the treatment of many types of cancer, the drugs affect all cells, it does not differ from healthy cells from cancerous ones, which causes undesirable side effects during the treatment period.
The types of side effects depend a lot on the type of drug used in chemotherapy sessions, the most frequent are: loss of appetite, low resistance, vomiting, shedding, bleeding and fatigue.
Being able to know these symptoms before treatment starts helps parents to organize themselves with the necessary care and also to have the chance to talk with the child to prepare them psychologically to face these symptoms.
Even with all the discomfort caused by side effects, chemotherapy is especially effective in children . As the cells are still immature, they have greater sensitivity to the performance of the medication
Types of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy can be applied orally, intravenously, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, intracraneally and topically, depending on the type of cancer and the stage of the disease. The most well-known type of chemotherapy is antineoplastic , which fights cancer cells.
The drug used in chemotherapy sessions is different for each type of cancer. When a single drug is used it is called mono – chemotherapy , when some chemical agents are combined it is called polychemotherapy .
Below are some types of chemotherapy:
Curative: Aims to end cancer based on this single treatment
Adjuvant: Eliminate cancer cells that persist after surgical treatment
Neoadjuvant (previous): Objective to shrink the tumor before radiotherapy or surgery
Palliative : It only aims to improve the quality of life of patients who have no chance of cure
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is also very important in the treatment of cancer in children and adults. It is a technique that consists of using ionizing radiation in order to destroy cancer cells. This radiation corrupts the genetic material of the diseased cell, preventing it from reproducing or growing.
For each type of cancer, an amount of session is determined, the intensity and type of radiation and the exposure time. It can be indicated as a single treatment or combined with chemotherapy and surgical procedure.
Whatever the treatment, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, the important thing is to prepare yourself to understand each stage of treatment and accept the arduous challenges that the cancer patient needs to face and always seek a cure and quality of life!
See Also: Pregnancy Cancer – Questions, Risks and Treatment
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
