A new report from the American Cancer Society says in 2014, an estimated 15,780 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed and 1960 deaths will occur among children and adolescents aged birth to 19 years. Annual incidence of cancer from birth to age 19 is 18.8 per 100,000; approximately 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20. Although some advances in surgical techniques, delivery of radiation therapy, and use of chemotherapy improve childhood cancer survivors in survival, children treated for many cancers are at high risk of long-term health issues, such as seizures, blindness, and hearing loss.
Childhood cancer rates vary by cancer type
(Source: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, 1975-2003)
Some challenges remain in fighting childhood cancer. Unlike adult cancers, only a relatively small percentage of all childhood cancers have known preventable causes. Additionally, A clinician finds it more difficult to early detect cancer in children, because of the similarity of some symptoms to those of more common childhood diseases.
It is therefore likely that Specialized medical care need to be tailored to address these challenges. Children with a predisposition to cancer would be diagnosed with novel screening methods. The doctors can identify tumors sooner in these children, allowing for treatments to be implemented earlier, ultimately leading to improved survival rates. Additionally, more comprehensive data tease out several cancer types to offer a clearer picture of the actual childhood cancer landscape. Tremendous variation in survival and success rates across different childhood cancers can be demonstrated by the above figures .
To achieve a comprehensive care, the integration of palliative care improve quality of life in the pediatric cancer survivors. Although not affected the eventual outcome, it may relieves the child’s disease symptoms. Focus on quality of life requires 2 things. First, it requires palliative care training for all pediatric specialists, not just those who seek it out. Every pediatric clinician, in partnership with other health care providers and supporters, is capable of addressing the needs of children with cancer and their families. Every childhood cancer journey should start with a plan for specialized medical care, including palliative care. Unfortunately, however, pediatric palliative care teams are not yet available in all settings in which children and families receive their care. Second, we need more research about quality of life for pediatric patients with cancer along the entire cancer care continuum.
Reference:
1. Because statistics don’t tell the whole story: A call for comprehensive care for children with cancer. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians ,2014
2. Childhood and adolescent cancer statistics, 2014. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2014; DOI: 10.3322/caac.21219
3. Early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer: a cluster-randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62416-2