Prevalent Cancers In Children

Prevalent cancers in children are as follows:

Lymphomas

The cancers of the lymphatic tissues are called lymphomas. Lymphatic system is made with lymphatic tissues. There are two main categories of lymphomas and each of them is associated with a large number of diseases. These two categories are Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s disease.

Peripheral lymph nodes that are found near the surface of the skin are involved in Hodgkin’s disease. There are many initial symptoms of this disease such as appearance of painless swelling in the armpit, neck or groin. Non-Hodgkin’s disease is most commonly found in children. It occurs in the bowel and in the upper midsection of the chest.

There are several initial symptoms to this disease. They are breathing difficulties, swelling or pain in abdomen; problem in swallowing etc. there is also a possibility for the occurrence of lymphomas in other organs of the body such as spleen, lymph nodes, liver and bone marrow.

The only accurate way to examine lymphomas is through biopsy in which a sample of the affected tissue is taken and is examined under the microscope. Then after diagnosis is confirmed, extent of the tumor is determined with the help of many tests such as CT scans, ultrasound, blood tests, special X-rays and isotope scans.

Brain Tumor

Brain tumor is the second most commonly found type of cancer among children. There is no specific age for the appearance of this tumor. Most of the cases are seen in the children that are 5-10 years old.

There are many symptoms of brain tumor such as morning headaches, irritability, changes in sleeping habits, clumsiness, seizures, vomiting, behavior problem, changes in eating pattern, and lethargy. All of these symptoms are also the indications of diseases other than cancer.

So it is very difficult to diagnose brain tumor. Many diagnostic tests are performed for the confirmation of brain tumors. These tests include a brain scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), skull X-rays and CT scans.

The type of brain tumor determines the type of treatment to be used. Either surgery or radiations or both in combination are used. There are some anticancer drugs that are used for the treatment of brain tumor because these drugs can penetrate the central nervous system and the brain. These drugs can be taken either orally or intravenously.

Neuroblastoma

If very young nerve cells are grown abnormally due to unknown reasons then neuroblastoma occurs. Adrenal glands are the most commonly found site for the occurrence of these tumors. Adrenal glands are located near the kidney.

There are many symptoms of neuroblastoma. These symptoms include listlessness, pain in abdomen or any other part of the body, mass, and persistent diarrhea. There are many diagnostic tests performed for this disease. These tests include blood tests, an intravenous pyelogram and ultrasound.

These tests are performed depending on the site where the cancer is found. Urine test is also performed because the urine of suffering children contains a substance that is detected in the urine.

Wilms’ Tumor

This type of tumor is found in the cells of kidney. The most common age of children suffering is from infancy to 15 years. If parents found a lump or a slight swelling in the abdomen of their child then they should bring this observation in the attention of their doctors.

There are several symptoms of this disease such as weakness, loss of appetite, presence of blood in urine, fever and abdominal pain. The doctors first examine the child physically and then review the medical history of that child. The most common diagnostic test performed for this disease is an IVP.

There are some other diagnostic methods that could be used such as CT scans, a special X-ray tomogram of the kidney etc. the treatment for Wilms’ tumor has been developed. This treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Retinoblastoma

This is the cancer that is developed in the eye. This type of cancer is very rare. This cancer is diagnosed by examining under general anesthesia with the help of an ophthalmoscope for the examination of the interior of the eve. Radiation therapy is used for the treatment of this cancer.

Rhabdmyosarcoma

This type of cancer arises from muscle cells. Children of age up to 6 years are mostly affected with this type of cancer. This type of cancer is most commonly found in the pelvis, the head, in the extremities or in the neck area.

Although this cancer grows very rapidly it is easily diagnosed at the early stage. Tomograms, bone scan, bone marrow examination, X-rays, gallium scan and liver scan are used for the diagnosis of this cancer. This cancer is treated primarily through surgery. If surgery is not suitable due to the very large size of the tumor then radiation and chemotherapy are used.