Dharan Cancer Speciality Centre

Comprehensive Care & Treatment For Childhood Cancer in Salem.

What is Childhood Cancer?

Cancer in children can occur anywhere in the body, including the blood and lymph node systems, brain and spinal cord (central nervous system; CNS), kidneys, and other organs and tissues. There tumor that generally occur in children are neural tumor, brain and spinal cord tumor, leukemia etc.

Symptoms

Weight loss
Headaches
Increased swelling in the bones, joints, back, or legs
Lump in the abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis, or armpits
Development of excessive bruising, bleeding, or rash
Nausea
Vision changes that occur suddenly and persist
Recurring or persistent fevers

Types

Leukemia

Leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow cells, is the of the most common types of childhood cancer. WBC help fight against infection. In children with leukemia, the bone marrow produces a lot of abnormal, immature white cells that are unable to fight infection The most common types of leukemia in children are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They cause bone and joint pain, fatigue, weakness, pale skin, bleeding or bruising, fever, weight loss, and other symptoms.

Brain and spinal cord tumors

Brain and spinal cord tumors are the second most common cancers in children. It occurs in the lower parts of the brain, such as the cerebellum or brain stem. Symptoms are headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred or double vision, dizziness, seizures. Spinal cord tumors are less common than brain tumors in both children and adults.

Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that starts with abnormal growth of immature nerve cells, most often arising in the adrenal gland (an organ that makes hormones, located outside the kidneys). These abnormal cells can disrupt the normal function of the affected body areas and can spread to the skin, bone marrow, bones, lymph nodes, and liver.

Nephroblastoma (Wilms tumor)

It is most common type of pediatric renal cancer and occur in children about 3 to 4 years old. The cancer arises from an abnormal growth of immature kidney cells, often causing a mass on the child's abdomen and disrupting kidney function.

Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system, affecting lymphoid tissues (lymph nodes and other glands through the body, like the tonsils or thymus. Lymphoma cells can also be found in the bone marrow and other organs of the body such as the liver or the spleen. Symptoms depend on where the cancer starts and can include weight loss, fever, sweats, tiredness (fatigue), and lumps (swollen lymph nodes) under the skin in the neck, armpit, or groin. Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are the two types of lymphomas.

Germ Cell & Gonadal Tumor

Germ cell tumors come from an abnormal growth of immature cells that would normally develop into the reproductive eggs in girls and sperm in boys .The cancer growth can arise as lumps in the abdomen, brain, or chest. These can spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and brain.

Bone cancer

Primary bone cancers (cancers that start in the bones) occur most often in older children and teens, but they can develop at any age. Primary bone cancers may spread to the lungs, as well as to other bones and soft tissue. Osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are two most common types of bone cancer.

Causes Of Childhood Cancer

Medical conditions
Problems with development in the womb
Exposure to infections
Exposure to radiation
Previous cancer treatments

Treatment