CHENNAI : The Cancer Institute and Press Institute of India recently came together to conduct a seminar, at the Adyar Cancer Institute, on paediatric cancer also known as childhood cancer. “We chose paediatric cancer because it is less known. A lot of children can be saved if they are given proper treatment and made aware. I think with just a few cases we can work towards complete eradication,” said Sashi Nair, director of Press Institute of India.
The two-hour session was split into two phases with four speakers. The programme began with a brief information on the topic, by Dr T G Sagar, the chairman of medical oncology and director of the cancer institute. Paediatric cancer accounts for less than five per cent of all the cancers. We lose close to one lakh children due to cancer every year. The topic is of relevance because it is estimated that 50,000 children in India alone die every year due to this. The past decade has witnessed an increase in reported incidence and it is continuing to grow in developing countries. The numbers can be brought down when treated in comprehensive care centres.
Dr Swaminathan, head of department of biostatistics and epidemiology shares the incidence, patterns and trends. On an average, boys are more prone to be diagnosed with paediatric cancer than girls. Tamil Nadu is one of the very few states where cancer cases are counted every year and statistics are maintained. There are a total of 802 cases in boys and 551 cases in girls in the state per one million in the world.
Dr Venkataraman Radhakrishnan, associate professor of department of medical and paediatric oncology spoke about the success stories and improvement in survival rates due to advancement in medicine. Although there is no one causal factor for this type of cancer, genetic factors and radiation could be one of the contributing factors. Some of the frequent consequences include fewer follow-up rates, discontinuing treatment, limited research and options for palliative care. The commonly reported symptoms are lymphadenopathy, bone and joint pain, fever and abdominal mass. Most of the children end up with lymphadenopathy or leukemia.
Apart from physiological, Dr Surendran, Professor of department of Psycho-oncology briefed on the psychosocial impact on the kids during the treatment which usually ranges from six months to three years. During this phase, there are equal chances that both the patient and caregiver experience stress. Some of the common problems are anxiety, depression, distorted body image, academic concern, fear of death and poor communication with the family members. Another issue is the dilemma faced by the family members when it comes to amputation, invasive procedure, and death. Dr Shardha explained the late effects, usually a phase after the treatment. The term survivorship is the intervention taken through monitoring and assessment to prevent the disease from recurring in the later stages.