The cells of the body manage other cells, control their lives and interact with them. Sometimes, these healthy cells change and grow out of control. Uncontrolled cell growth is thought to be affected by cancer. Although this life-threatening disease can affect any age as well as gender, pediatric (child) cancer is rare. Only 1 in 285 children may be diagnosed with cancer.
What are the causes of childhood cancer?
Lifestyle factors – smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, as well as alcohol intake that can cause cancer in adults would not match the factors that could cause the different types of cancer in children – Leukemia, Lymphoma, Cancers brain (and other central nervous system cancers), thyroid cancer, etc. The following are possible risks associated with cancer in children:
Genetic Factors
8-10% of all childhood cancers are caused by inherited pathogenic variants in a cancer-predisposing gene. Experts in the field of cancer research have studied that genetic factors contribute to childhood cancer. Genes help cells grow. They are made up of DNA. Every time there are two new cell divisions from a single cell, there is a copy of the DNA. Going deeper, just as a child inherits genes, it also inherits DNA from its parents. DNA mutations or changes are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Retinoblastoma, or Wilms tumor, are some of the types of cancer that occur due to genetic mutation. Another example is children with Down syndrome (a condition in which they have an extra chromosome).
Exposure to Radiation
A child’s exposure to radiation early in life has a high risk of developing cancer. Research shows that those born in Japan during the time of the atomic bomb are an example of this. The Chornobyl nuclear reactor disaster in 1986 caused thyroid cancer in children there. Childhood leukemia was also a consequence of the Chernobyl incident. It occurred five years after the disaster and was mostly seen in children under 10 years of age. Times have changed a lot since the World War. In today’s age, mobile phones or smartphones are an essential part of life. However, electromagnetic fields and radiation from cell phones have increased the chances of childhood leukemia.
Contact with Infections
Infections such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are the most common among infections among young children. Although this has no symptoms, children can suffer from glandular fever. This is an unpleasant form of fever that continues for weeks. In rare cases, this infection can cause Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Burkitt’s lymphoma.
Problem during pregnancy
Some childhood cancers start when the baby is inside the expectant mother’s womb. Inside the womb, most organs such as eyes and kidneys are formed earlier. However, sometimes, things can go wrong. Cells in a child’s body are expected to mature to form different body parts, but they don’t. The immature cells stay where they are, causing no problems. When the child is 3 or 4 years old, these cells grow uncontrollably and become the cause of childhood cancer. Wilms’ tumor, a type of kidney cancer, and retinoblastoma, which is retinal cancer, are some such examples.
What are the symptoms of childhood cancer?
Most childhood cancers have seasonal cold and flu-like symptoms that children are prone to. Headaches and stomachaches are some of the common ones.
If symptoms persist with unexplained weight loss, headaches, increased swelling, a lump or mass in the child’s abdomen, armpit, neck or chest, nausea and fatigue, a visit to the health care provider is necessary2.
What are the treatment options for childhood cancer?
A thorough physical examination of the symptoms followed by some diagnostic tests – biopsy, blood tests, CT or CT scan as well as MRI would confirm cancer in a child. That being said, the earlier the cancer is detected, the faster the cancer treatment would be. Pediatric oncology treatment will be based on their age and types of cancer.
- Chemotherapy is a widely used treatment for cancer. Its main function is to destroy cancer cells. However, it is important to note that chemotherapy can have significant side effects and can cause damage to the body. Children may struggle with chemotherapy, as it can disrupt the production of new healthy cells and make them more vulnerable to infections. Radiotherapy or radiation therapy is given along with chemotherapy.
- The surgery involved removing the infected area.
- Stem cell transplants use stem cells from peripheral blood, bone marrow, or cord blood to replace cancerous or damaged stem cells with healthy ones after cancer cells have been destroyed by chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, due to the lack of suitable donors, the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and impaired immune recovery remains unquestioned. Research shows that cord blood stem cells have been used for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) since 1989, and over 40,000 UCB transplants have been performed worldwide for various types of disorders. Umbilical cord blood, which is a storehouse of very high-quality hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and other types of progenitor cells, can be used for stem cell transplantation in the treatment of certain childhood cancers. These HSCs can regenerate healthy blood cells. Therefore, saving umbilical cord blood has been shown to be useful for future use. Cord blood stem cell transplantation is considered a promising alternative for the treatment of childhood cancer.
