Cancer is a process in which cells grow and reproduce in an abnormal, uncontrolled manner.  Usually the cells of the body function with extraordinary precision and are highly regulated, but every so often something goes wrong.  At its earliest stages, cancer cells grow in their original, or primary site, when the disease is most treatable.  If the cancer is left unchecked, it will invade surrounding tissue and organs, or metastasize, spreading by way of the bloodstream or lymph channels.  Even in advanced states, many cancers are being cured, especially in children.

Children tend to get different kinds of cancers than adults.  Children are more likely to get cancers of developing organ systems; like the blood, nervous system, and bones.  As a group, children respond much better to treatment than do adults.

In the United States, approximately 12,500 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in children between birth and 17 years of age.  Survival rates for childhood cancers are about 75%, with some cancers having an even better outcome.  More and more children are being cured of their disease.

How do Children get Cancer?

Cancer in children is a rare disease.  There are no definite answers as to how children get cancer, although some cancers seem to have genetic and environmental components.  Cancer in children is generally NOT the result of any parental oversight in caring for the child, or the result of any behavior the child may have engaged in.

LEUKEMIA

Leukemia is a cancer that affects the organs that manufacture blood cells.  The disease usually begins in the bone marrow, or lymph system, where blood cells originate and mature before being released into the bloodstream.  Early symptoms may include the following: bruising easily; fatigue; fever; weight loss and anemia.  The diagnosis is confirmed by laboratory tests indicuating the presence of abnormal cells in the blood and in the bone marrow.  There are several types of leukemia.  One type of leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia (also called acute lymphoblastic leukemia) (ALL), is the most common of all the cancers found in children.  It is also the leukemia in which oncologists (physicians specializing in cancer) are able to achieve the highest remission and cure rates.

The primary treatment for leukemia is chemotherapy.  Radiation of the central nervous system is sometimes used, in addition to intensive chemotherapy.  Bone marrow transplantation is an intensive treatment approach for children with resistant types of the disease that do not respond to chemotherapy alone.

The PHASES of Cancer Treatment

1.  Diagnosis:

This period may have been brief or protracted in difficult cases, and is marked by intense worry, pain and concern.  Many medical tests and surgeries may be needed to establish the diagnosis.

2.  Induction/Start of Treatment:

This is a very busy and stressful period of time as children and families must cope with frequent medical appointments, complicated and intense treatment programs, and incorporating the new demands of the illness and treatment into family life.

3.  Maintenance/Remission:

Most children will respond favorably to treatment, and will attain a period of illness plateau or the complete absence of detectable cancer (i.e., remission).  Treatment must continue even if a remission is attained, because many cancers can reoccur.  Maintenance treatments are usually not as intense as the initial treatment period.

4.  Completion of Therapy:

Depending on the type of cancer and how widespread it was at time of diagnosis, treatment may be over a period of months or may need to continue over several years.  When the physicians are comfortable that the child is in a long-term remission and has received adequate treatment, therapy is considered to be completed.

5.  Long-Term Survivor:

A person who has survived 5 years in a disease-free condition after the completion of therapy is considered cured.  Every year after completing therapy that a person survives desease-free, their chances of long-term survival increases dramatically.  Long-term survivors require life-long health surveillance to make sure they do not develop side effects due to the cancer treatment much later in life.

6.  Relapse/Disease Progression:

Many children who have had an initially favorable response to treatment may have a relapse (i.e., return) of their desease, and will need to undergo another intensive round of treatment.  Even after suffering a relapse, a child can be cured of their disease, but their chances for long-term survival decrease.  Sometimes, a child’s disease may have been controlled for long periods of time, even though it was never completely eliminated.  For yet unknown reasons, a cancer can become resistant to once-effective therapy and start to grow once again.  If conventional treatments are no longer helpful for a particular child, the family and medical team may elect to try new treatments that are constantly being developed to fight cancer.

(from Cancervive Parent’s and Teacher’s Guide for Kids with Cancer by Susan Nessim Keeney and Ernest R. Katz, Ph.D)