HYDERABAD: Childhood cancer in the country accounts for 0.7-4.4 per cent of total cancer diagnoses. One million new cancers are diagnosed annually in India and about 50,000 of them are paediatric cancers. Low- and middle-income countries like India, account for nearly 90 per cent of paediatric population and over 80 per cent of childhood cancer burden in the world. However, the incidence recorded in India is lower than expected, especially in leukaemia and CNS tumours. This is likely due to delayed recognition and insufficient documentation.
Some common childhood cancers in the country are: Leukaemias and lymphomas, which are the most common, followed by CNS tumours and retinoblastoma. Others include neuroblastoma, Wilms’ tumour, bone tumours, osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma.
Contrary to general belief, only five per cent of paediatric cancers are genetic. Identifying the disease early and getting a protocol-based treatment with a paediatric oncologist and ensuring fewer treatment dropouts is of paramount importance to improve survival and cure rates of paediatric cancers.
Children with cancer present late with more advanced stage because of poor awareness and delayed diagnosis. Also, it can be hard to recognise right away because early symptoms are often like those caused by much more common illnesses or injuries. It is important to have your child checked by a doctor if they have unusual signs or symptoms that do not go away. Some of the symptoms are: an unusual lump or swelling in extremities, white reflex in the eye, unexplained paleness and loss of energy, easy bruising or bleeding and limping, among others.
(Dr. P Vijay Karan Reddy, consultant oncologist, Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad)