According to estimates from the National Cancer Institute (INCA), there are about eight thousand new cases of children’s cancer in Brazil per year . Despite being considered rare, the incidence is relevant and, according to the entity, the disease is already the main cause of death from diseases between children and adolescents from one to 19 years in the country, representing 8% of total deaths.
Part of this scenario is related to the greatest difficulty for early diagnosis, fundamental to the success of treatment, and greater therapy inequality. In some low and medium -income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, only 20% of children with cancer cure compared to over 80% in rich countries. The data were released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Monday (3).
“Several factors interfere with both this discrepancy and survival rates, perhaps the most important delay in diagnosis,” says Maristella Bergamo, pediatric oncologist of the Brazilian Society of Pediatric Oncology (Sobope).
According to the Ministry of Health, the main types of child cancer are those that affect blood system cells and support tissues. This is the case of leukemia, tumors in the central nervous system and the lymphatic system.
Also affect children and adolescents neuroblastoma (peripheral nervous system cell tumor, often abdominal location); Wilms Tumor (Renal Tumor Type); retinoblastoma (affects the retina, background of the eye); germ tumor (from cells that originate the ovaries and testicles); osteosarcoma (bone tumor); and sarcomas (soft parts tumors).
Risk factors that are related to the development of child cancer are, most of the time, genetic origin . “In children and adolescents, the environmental factor influences little on cancer development. What we take most in mind are genetic factors, such as changes in the gene or hereditary issues, from parents to children, ”explains Bergamo.
Signs and symptoms are similar to those of other common childhood diseases
One of the factors that are related to the difficulty in early diagnosis is the similarity of cancer symptoms with other diseases, which causes tumor detection to be done late.
“For example, a child with intense and daily headache may have a migraine picture or an infectious picture, but it can also be a tumor in the central nervous system,” warns the oncologist. “Our guidance is: if symptoms persist and do not improve, we must always see a doctor,” he emphasizes.
Some warning signs that may be related to child cancer, according to Bergamo, are:
- Brain tumor : constant headache and associated with vomiting or seizure;
- Leukemia : pallor, purple spots and oscillating fever;
- Abdominal tumors : pain in the abdomen, lumps or abdominal masses.
Another factor that can make early diagnosis difficult is the lack of knowledge of the population to the fact that these symptoms may suggest the existence of cancer.
“Health professionals often may not make this relationship and this delay the diagnosis. There are already published studies that show that a pediatrician, for example, can spend a lifetime without seeing a child with cancer, because the disease is rare. So if the professional quickly suspects cancer, that child’s chance of having proper treatment and cure increases, ”says Bergamo.
INCA data in the booklet “Early diagnosis of cancer in children and adolescents”They show that the type and location of the tumor, as well as the patient’s age, the distance from the reference center and the obstacles to the referral system contribute to the delay in the diagnosis. “This can lead to more aggressive treatment, greater possibility of sequelae and lower healing rates,” explains the expert.
Difficulty in accessing treatment makes it difficult to cure
Another worrying point is the difficulty in accessing suitable treatments for children and adolescents with cancer. According to Bergamo, there are few options of specific medications for the types of tumors that most impact children’s audiences, which make them expensive.
“We have nowadays what we call precision medicine, which are individually focused on a tumor type. Still, they are expensive medications that takes a long time, both in Brazil and in developing countries, to have access to them, which hinders the chances of healing, ”says the oncologist.
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This content was originally published in childhood cancer: late diagnosis and access to treatment are challenges on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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