According to the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (Choc), one in 600 children is affected by cancer before the age of 16. The encouraging news is that if diagnosed early, 70% to 85% of children can be cured.
Elica Primary School learners recently spent an afternoon at Savannah Mall and Mall of the North, where they raised awareness on childhood cancer and raised money for this cause.
The cancers that affect children the most often occur in developing cells like bone marrow, blood, eyes, liver, skeleton, kidneys and nervous system.
The most common cancer is leukaemia followed by brain and then a wide variety of tumours. Life-threatening blood disorders include aplastic anaemia, thalassaemia and ITP.
“Cancer is not infectious or contagious, and most childhood cancers can be treated more successfully if detected early,” says Bobby Were, a cancer survivor and volunteer at at the Tough Living with Cancer ward at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
According to Cansa’s website, recent studies show that childhood cancers are caused by genetic and environmental factors.
“Treatment causes a suppressed immunity in children with cancer that may lead to long periods of absence from school,” says Were.
Children have a right to a smoke-free world. Second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke (nicotine residue known as cotinine) are harmful and the smoking of cigarettes and hubbly bubbly are especially harmful to children.
Warning signs for childhood cancer include:
• Continued, unexplained weight loss.
• Headaches, often with vomiting in the early evening or early morning.
• Increase swelling or pain in bones, joints, back and legs.
• Lump or mass in abdomen, neck, chest, pelvis or armpits.
• Development of excessive bruising, bleeding or rash.
• Constant infection.
• A whitish colour behind the pupils.
• Nausea that persists or vomiting without nausea.
• Constant tiredness or noticeable paleness.
• Eye or vision changes, it occurs and persists.
• Recurrent fevers of unknown origin.
According to Choc, treatment of childhood cancer includes paediatric treatment by a paediatric oncologist and comprises of chemotherapy, surgery or radiation. In some cases, a combination of these treatments is used, while bone marrow or stem cell transplantation is done in certain situations.
In South Africa, less than half of the children are diagnosed early and reach a treatment centre in time. Many are diagnosed too late with an advanced stage of cancer for the treatment to have much chance of success and half are never diagnosed and so receive no treatment.
As a result, Choc strongly advocates and encourages all efforts that lead to the early detection of childhood cancer.
As with early detection, the prognosis for cure is very positive.
“We know people with cancer and the fight against cancer is important to us,” said Kamogelo Molepo, one of the learners who was at Savannah Mall.
