800 kids diagnosed with cancer yearly
Published on: Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: An alarming number of young are being diagnosed with cancer. Based on the country's hospital registries, 800 aged between birth and 18 are diagnosed with cancer annually.University Malaya Medical Centre's Paediatric Oncologist senior consultant, Professor Dr Hany Mohd Ariffin, cautioned parents against being anti-vaccine. She said ensuring children were vaccinated was one way to reduce the chances of them developing cancer. ADVERTISEMENT A case in point, she said, was the greatly reduced rate of children developing liver cancer following the move to make the Hepatitis B vaccination mandatory for children at birth, as well as when they turned 1 and 5.She said parents must religiously observe the practice, as many skipped the critical third shot."It is compliance with vaccination that we are worried about, as it is the only method of prevention," she said. Dr Hany let parents in on what they could do as front liners in screening their children for cancer symptoms, and what pallor, bruising or bleeding, general bone pain, and lumps or swelling could mean to their children's growing bodies. ADVERTISEMENT "This is especially if the children don't appear to be hurt, or have fever or other signs of infection. Then, there is also unexplained weight loss or fever, persistent cough or shortness of breath, and sweating at night. "Also, look out for changes in the eyes and the appearance of a whitish pupil, new-onset squint, visual loss, bruising or swelling around the eye, abdominal swelling, headache, especially if it is unusually persistent or severe, vomiting, limb or bone pain, swelling without trauma, or any other signs of infection."
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She said there were parents of children with cancer who sought the help of traditional healers on the side, and would stop seeking medical treatment when the children's condition improved. "The bomoh they see claim credit for the children's improved condition and the parents would stop coming in halfway into the (medical) treatment. "When this happens, the chances of a relapse are not only almost certain, but the children's survival rate will dip."She said parents of young cancer patients must find comfort in knowing that for those up to 18 who had been diagnosed with cancer, there was a 75 per cent to 85 per cent chance of survival if the malignancy was detected early. Statistics show that 47 per cent of young patients likely suffered from leukaemia, 11 per cent from brain tumour and the remaining from various solid tumours. "There is no proven method to prevent children from developing cancer. "No parent should be blamed for their children being diagnosed with cancer, but as a preventive measure, vaccinate your children. "Cancer is multifactorial. There are conditions in the pre-birth environment, soon after birth and as children grow up (that may lead to cancer)." Dr Hany urged parents to educate themselves on the causes of cancer and other tell-tale signs. She said the "white eye" indicator of retinoblastoma that appeared in pictures was one of the easiest red flags to spot. "Everybody takes pictures. Often, you get the 'red-eye' effect. If your children's eyes have traces of white, something may not be right. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"Knee swelling and the formation of lumps are also a big threat, and could spread to the lungs and be more difficult to treat. "Catching retinoblastoma early, when it is confined in the eye, makes the condition highly curable and the eye can be saved. "We have seen cases where the eyes 'rest' on the child's cheeks, and the cancer has spread to the lungs, bones and liver, making such cases incurable," she said, adding that early intervention would swing the odds of children being cured by up to 95 per cent.