All posts by HealthyLife

HealthyLife is a part of www.WeRIndia.com, an all India – centric website (https://healthylife.werindia.com) and is solely owned and operated by WeRIndia.com. It is a Indian nutritional portal providing educational articles.This nutritional port was launched on February 5th, 2015.
Children need special care

Children need special care

Coping with cancer is difficult. Diagnosis and treatment is difficult as treatment options are different for every child. Parents should understand what is the best option for the child and help child to overcome fear and make treatment as smooth as it can be.

How to be with child who is undergoing cancer treatment and what care should be taken:

1.       Wear mask when you are around your child. Do not encourage guests to touch, hug child.

2.       Explain child (age-appropriate talk) what is happening with treatment. Repeat the talk once a while so that kid’s mind prepares for treatment.

3.       Your child may be in and out of hospital during treatment time. What is essential for child’s stay including toys and books, food – carry it.

4.       Encourage child to express feelings and talk about what is going on in the mind.

5.       Make daily activities, regular routines as normal as possible.

6.       Encourage child to stay connected with friends and families. Children often wants to know what friends are doing, how school activities are progressing, want to hear stories, play with siblings. Allow them to connect with them.

7.       Help children to play, read stories, work on journals, to do artwork, watch cartoons, encourage to sing, play – let there be normalcy.

8.       Encourage to write letter, send email to loved ones.

9.       Remote learning is a possibility and if it is available make use of it. If there are tutors and teachers available in hospital to help, take help. With weakened immune system child won’t be able to step out – either in hospital or at home.

10.   Explain what is happening to your other children. Let them know that sick child need little more attention and all are together in the battle.

11.   Children will cope better if they know that their parents are getting help, support and care. Talk to healthcare workers, doctors and parents of children who are taking treatments. Everyone needs emotional support – talking helps to overcome fear and sadness.

-Imagen de sobima en Pixabay

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on: September 13, 2022
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Bone Cancers

Bone cancers

Bone cancer accounts for about 3% of childhood cancer. It is occurring often in teens and children. Here cancer starts in bone and then spreads to other organs.

Two types of primary bone cancers in children:

Osteosarcoma – It originates in the bone-forming cells. It is most common in teens, and usually develops in areas where the bone is growing quickly, like in the ends of the leg or arm bones. It causes localized swelling, bone fractures, limping, bone pain that gets worse at night. Activity of child restricts, and child may limp. Swelling in the area around the bone could be noticeable.

Ewing sarcoma – Occurs in soft tissue of bones. It is less common type of bone cancer and most time appears in teenage children. It often begins in the leg and spreads to pelvis. Symptoms are- Lump under the skin, bone pain, tenderness, stiffness, bone fractures, pain in joints, back, swelling, weight loss, fever, Palpable soft-tissue mass and pain in chest wall such as the ribs or shoulder blades are common symptoms.

-Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Author: HealthyLife | Posted on:
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Rhabdomyosarcoma – Cancer in skeletal muscle

Rhabdomyosarcoma – Cancer in skeletal muscle

Rhabdomyosarcoma is rare type of cancer in soft tissue or skeletal muscle tissue. It can appear in bladder and uterus too. Most often it appears in children than adults. It starts in head and neck area, urinary system, reproductive system, arm and legs. It makes up about 3% of childhood cancers.

Symptoms include: It can cause severe pain, swelling or both. This is the most common type of soft tissue sarcoma in children.

Retinoblastoma – Cancer of eye

Retinoblastoma accounts for about 2% of childhood cancers. It usually occurs in children around the age of 2, and is seldom found in children older than 6. The eye start to develop early in pregnancy. At a point mature retina cells form. Rarely, something wrong happens during the process of retina formation and cells grow out of control. RB1 gene mutation results in the retina cancer.

Symptoms – When light shines on the pupil child’s eye  glows to white, eyes appear larger than normal, cloudiness or discoloration at the center of eye, pain in eye, crossed eyes, redness or pink in the white portion, problem in visions are symptoms of eye cancer.

Chemotherapy, laser therapy, thermotherapy, cryotherapy, radiation treatments are treatment options  for eye cancer.

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Lymphomas - Cancer in lymphatic system

Lymphomas – Cancer in lymphatic system

Cancer in lymphatic system is lymphoma. It causes swelling in lymph nodes and immune system becomes week. Lymphoma often starts in lymph nodes or in lymph tissues such as thymus and tonsils. Eventually it spreads to other organs.

Symptoms include:  Painless enlargement of lymph nodes, in armpit, groin and in neck. Weight loss,  Weakened immune system, night sweats, fever and chills, fatigue, bone and back pain, itchiness, headaches.

There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin and non Hodgkin lymphoma. Difference between the two lymphomas are : presence of a specific type of abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell, if this is present then it is classified as Hodgkin’s. If the Reed-Sternberg cell is not present, the lymphoma is classified as non-Hodgkin’s.

Hodgkin lymphoma: About 3% of childhood cancers represents by Hodgkin lymphoma. It is common in adolescent children and rare in children younger than 5 years old. Symptoms are similar both in children and adults. Treatment depends on stage of cancer and which treatment works best.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma : It makes up about 5% of childhood cancers. It is more likely to occur in younger children than Hodgkin lymphoma, it is rare in children younger than 3.  In children this cancer often spreads quickly and require intense treatment, Children tend to respond better to the treatments than adults.

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Neuroblastoma - Cancer in Nerve cells

Neuroblastoma – Cancer in Nerve cells

Neuroblastoma most commonly found in embryo or fetus. It starts in immature or developing embryo cells – in nerve cells. It is rare in children older than 10 years. It can occur anywhere in the body but most commonly appears in abdomen. Average age of child at diagnosis is 1 to 2 years old and most neuroblastoma cases are diagnosed before age 5.

Symptoms of neuroblastoma are: swelling in belly or abdomen. If the child develops it on spine then it will stop crawling or walking, paralysis, if on chest- difficulty in breathing, if in abdomen – enlarged belly, vomiting. If it is metastasized then child may have black eyes, bruises, fever, paleness, joint and bone pain and may stop walking or could limp.  About 6% of childhood cancers are neuroblastomas.

Treatment for neuroblastoma -Chemotherapy, surgery, autologous stem cell transplant, antibody therapy. Treatments depends on the tumor development stage and cancer advancement.

Wilms tumor – Rare kidney cancer

Wilms tumor or nephroblastoma starts in one, or rarely, both kidneys. It is often found in children 3 to 4 years old. Symptoms include abdominal mass, swelling in abdomen, fever, pain, constipation, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, nausea, shortness of breath. Wilms tumor accounts for about 5% of childhood cancers. Diagnosis is done by total blood count, urine test, imaging test.

Generally, Wilms tumor develops due to genetic background.

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Leukemia - Cancer of bone marrow and blood

Leukemia – Cancer of bone marrow and blood

One of the most common childhood cancers is Leukemia, cancer of the bone marrow and blood, Leukemia alone accounts for about 28% of all cancers in children.

Leukemia is group of cancer cells that originate in leukocytes or the WBC  that originate in bone marrow. WBC helps in fighting diseases. A disturbance in normal WBC production causes multiplication of immature or damaged WBCs resulting in cancer. The most common types in children are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Symptoms of leukemias are: bone and joint pain, fatigue, weakness, pale skin, bleeding or bruising, fever, weight loss etc.

As soon as detected leukemia should be treated typically with chemotherapy. Immunotherapy, bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.  

Brain and spinal cord tumors

Brain and spinal cord tumors make tup to 26% of cancer in children and is the second most common cancers in children. Spinal card tumor is less common than brain tumor. Types of brain and spine tumors are: gliomas, glioblastoma, lymphomas, pituitary and other tumors of brain, skull-base and spine tumors

Generally in children brain tumor starts at lower part of brain – cerebellum (brain stem). Symptoms include :  headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred or double vision, dizziness, seizures, trouble walking or handling objects, and other symptoms.

The main concerns in this type of cancer is: how fast it grows, how readily it spreads to other part of brain and spinal cord, how it will be removed and treated so that the tumor does not grow back. Based on the type, location, child’s age and health and size of tumor surgeons will decide how to treat the child.

Image by bess.hamiti@gmail.com from Pixabay

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What are the risk factors and causes of childhood cancer

What are the risk factors and causes of childhood cancer

Different types of cancers arise from different risk factors.  These risk factors could be

1.       Environmental and lifestyle- In children lifestyle does not play much role or influence cancer development. Mother drinking during pregnancy increases risk of baby having cancer. However environmental factors such as radiation, exposure to  pesticides or toxins could lead to cancer development.

2.       Genes: Certain changes in DNA also leads to cancer. These genes that help cells grow, divide and stay alive in uncontrollable fashion are oncogenes.

3.       Mutations: Inheritance of certain genes from parents that undergo mutation increases risk of cancer in children. This type of cancer is less common in children. In many children, acquired mutations or the DNA changes that happens early in child’s early age (sometimes before birth) can result in cancer.

4.       Some genetic disorders like Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Li-Fraumeni syndrome carry genes that increases risk of leukemia or blood cancer in children. In addition, some of the immune system problems inherited by parents also increases risk of leukemia.  Children who treated for other cancer types with chemotherapy drugs could also develop second cancers such as leukemia.

5.       Other factors that are unproven and uncertain considered as risk factors are: Mother’s age, birth control pills, father’s working environment (chemicals), contaminated drinking water, living close to nuclear power plant, living close to power lines, parents smoking habits etc.

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Possible signs and symptoms of cancer in children

Possible signs and symptoms of cancer in children

Cancer in children can be difficult to recognize right away when the symptoms start. Reason for this is, many symptoms are often appeared as regular and common illness and injuries. It is common for a child to bump into something or hurt himself while playing. Or while playing may get infected with flu virus or could catch cold. Such injuries and infections could mask early symptoms of cancer child. If the symptoms do not go away even after treatment or if parent suspect something unusual, it is better to take actions.

Some of the unusual symptoms and signs that persist for longer than usual in children who might have cancer are:

·         Sudden weight loss

·         Often falling sick and weak, no energy

·         An unusual lump or swelling

·         Unexplained paleness and loss of energy

·         Easy bruising or bleeding

·         An ongoing pain in one area of the body

·         Limping

·         Unexplained fever or illness that doesn’t go away

·         Often vomiting, nausea and frequent headaches

·         Sudden eye or vision changes

·         Sudden unexplained weight loss

Parents might notice other symptoms that are specific to cancer types. Doctor might order tests that will help to diagnose the causes of the symptoms.

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