Early signs of childhood cancer, what signs to out for

Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa, also known as CHOC, wants parents to be aware of the early warning signs of cancer in both children and teenagers.

They use Saint Siluan’s early warning signs of childhood cancer. A Russian monk, Siluan is said to have worked tirelessly for all humanity. CHOC wants to improve the survival rate of cancer patients as they believe that more children and teens need to be diagnosed at early stages and treated by a paediatric oncologist.

So they want you to:

• Seek medical help early for persistent symptoms
• Look for a white spot in the eye, new squint, new blindness or bulging eyeball
• Look for any lumps on the abdomen and pelvis, head and neck, limbs, testes and glands
• Unexplained prolonged fever over two weeks, loss of weight, pallor, fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding
• Aching bones, joints, back and easy fractures
• Neurological signs that change or deterioration in walk, balance or speech, regression of milestones, headache for more than a week with or without vomiting, enlarged head.

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