September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to shed light on a disease no pediatrician wants to ever diagnose – childhood cancer.
According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, more than 290 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer every week, The main treatments for childhood cancer include surgery to remove the tumor (or some of it); chemotherapy (powerful medicines used to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing); radiation therapy (shrinks tumors and kills cancer cells); immunotherapy (uses the immune system to fight cancer); targeted therapy (drugs that target certain features of cancer cells).
Some of the most common cancers in children are leukemia (cancer of the blood), lymphoma (cancer of the immune system), and solid tumors (cancers of the bones, tissues, or organs).
The type and combination of treatments depend on many factors, including:
- The type of cancer
- Where the tumor is located
- Whether the cancer has returned or is a new diagnosis
- The stage of the cancer
- The age of the child.
According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, the average age of a child diagnosed with cancer is 8 years old, and early diagnosis is often difficult. Through 2020, only six new FDA-approved drugs have been specifically made for childhood cancer. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children in America.
Unlike in adults, environmental exposure to carcinogens and lifestyle factors rarely cause cancer in children. Childhood cancer is usually caused by genetic factors, according to the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
Although it’s usually not possible to prevent childhood cancer, you can do some things to reduce the risk of cancer later in life:
- Encourage a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and low in processed meats.
- Physical activity can reduce the risk of some cancers.
- Sun exposure can increase the risk of skin cancer, so teach children to wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats and to stay in the shade.
- Smoking, vaping, and using smokeless tobacco can increase the risk of cancer.
- Vaccinations can protect against some types of cancer, including HPV and hepatitis B.
- Know the healthy weight ranges for your child.
- If your family has a history of cancer, be sure to tell your pediatrician so we can look for signs during your child’s checkups.
At Pediatric Partners of Augusta, we are dedicated to early diagnosis and effective treatments of childhood cancer. If you are concerned about your child’s risk factors for childhood cancer, ask your pediatrician. We are here to help.